


Rarepair Month

by ShadowmanePX41



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adorable Rose Lavillant, F/F, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant-centric, Miraculous Holder Juleka Couffaine, POV Juleka Couffaine, Rose Lavillant - Freeform, Tiger Juleka Couffaine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 47,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28619406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowmanePX41/pseuds/ShadowmanePX41
Summary: Welcome to Rarepair Month! That's right, I'm popping this bad boy and I'm gonna be pounding out a plethora of stories on my favourite Rarepair; JuleRose!Now, why do I love Juleka and Rose so much? Well, it's because out of the rare pairs of Miraculous Ladybug, I feel that the two of them are the most genuine pair that there is. You can tell from the number of interactions they have with each other; how they always stand by each other; how they wince for each other when the other falls under the knife. These two are just the bestest pair of girls there is and I love them to death for it. So why not indulge in that love with some fanfiction about them?
Relationships: Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant
Comments: 37
Kudos: 22





	1. Day 1: New Year's Countdown

It was the 31st of December in Paris. People were gathered in crowds waiting in awe for the New Year's Day celebrations to begin. People from all walks of life gathered in various places around the city, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Trocadéro, Arc De Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, and Notre Dame.

Among the crowds were a pair of girls; Juleka Couffaine and Rose Lavillant. Both of which were wearing glasses on the tops of their heads depicting the year that they were about to ring in, as well as some neon glowstick necklaces. Both of them also wore their best coats; which consisted of a black coat with feathers around the neck for Juleka, and a pink coat with similar feathers for Rose. Juleka had been sipping away at a glass of champagne, while Rose had been curled up against her shoulder for warmth. Even at the end of the year, it was as cold as a regular day at the South Pole.

"I still can't believe that this year's almost over," Rose finally took the time to speak her mind as she watched the clock tick towards the new year. As it stood, she and her girlfriend had only five minutes left to spend the year before the new one came knocking. "How do you think the year's been for you, Juleka?"

"Eh, that depends. How was it for you, Rose?" Juleka shrugged and turned her gaze to Rose's.

"Oh, well, I think it was stunning." Rose grinned from ear to ear. "I got a bunch of friends for Mr. Twinklepants, I got all of my work done, and I managed to meet Prince Ali." Rose recalled all of her favourite moments of the year. "Oh, and I think it's safe to say that Kitty Section is going places."

"Ya think so? I would've thought that more than a few shows were a fluke." Juleka's eyebrows lifted slightly.

"Oh, no, Juleka. Check this out." Rose reached into her coat's pocket and pulled out a phone. Much like the rest of her stuff, it was sealed within a pink phone case that had been decorated with glitter and unicorn stickers. Rose opened it up and went to the video app that she had downloaded. She punched in "Kitty Section" on the search bar and searched the topic. Sure enough, videos of her band performing surfaced. The first one that she found, Rose pushed on the thumbnail with the tip of her finger, opening the video up.

"Heh." Juleka couldn't help but crack a smile as she watched Rose's indie band sing and play their hearts out; while donning their stage clothes.

"Ya see? Take a look at the comments that we got!" Rose swiped up with her fingers, revealing the like/dislike ratio and the comments that the video had accrued. "This one right here, it says 'these people have some guts. Mad props to 'em wanting to hold their own in the indie scene. Hope they succeed'. Honestly, Julie, I didn't think we'd be getting that level of praise until we were at least performing places like Les Caveau des Oubliettes."

"Well, the world works in strange ways, doesn't it?" Juleka wasn't one to question the world around her. She was one of the people who had learned to grin, bear, and roll with it. At least, as long as Rose was there by her side. She couldn't bear to face the hardships of the world alone. At least the kind of stuff that she wasn't prepared to face. "Anyways, I'm just glad that you're sticking to your guns with it. Not gonna lie, it's awfully fun to be part of it."

"And I'm glad that you're part of Kitty Section too, Juleka." Rose gave Juleka a little hug, then noticed out of the corner of her eyes that it was into the final minute of the year, and a large countdown from the number 60 was starting. "Oh, it's almost time, Juleka. Got any last words to say this year?"

"Last words?" Juleka put her fingers to her chin and tried to think on something to say. "Well, I guess if there's anything I _did_ wanna say, it's that whatever happened this year, whether it was good or bad, it's not gonna be coming back any time soon. Next year? That's a whole 'nother story."

Rose giggled slightly. "You sounded like Alix for a second there."

"D-did I?" Juleka blushed ever so slightly at each cheek at Rose's remark. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Oh, no. It's not, Juleka. It's just that, well, you're always so prolific with the things that you say and I thought you'd have some big, wordy speech for the end of the year." Rose said, twiddling her fingers together.

"Who says that ya need a lot of words to get what you wanna say out there?" Juleka asked, locking her gaze with that of Rose's, which caused her to blush as well. It was now that the crowd around them were counting down from ten to zero. As the numbers went on and on, Rose and Juleka's stare never wavered once; not even with the cold wind blowing around them.

Then, at the last moment, with the people declaring "one", Rose and Juleka leaned forward and felt their lips touch each other. The two of them shared a kiss with each other as fireworks and pyrotechnics lit up the sky and welcomed in the new year. The scene was like something out of a fairytale for both of them and a marvellous way to welcome in the new year. And when their kiss finally ended, the two of them rested their shoulders against one another and watched as the fireworks shot into the sky and detonated in a spectacular fashion one after the other.

"Happy New Year, Rose." Juleka was the first one to speak between them now that the new year was in full swing.

"Happy New Year, Juleka." Rose replied back softly as she could and wrapped her arm around Juleka's shoulders, prompting her to do the same with her arm around Rose's shoulders.

With their moment had and the sky lit up with flash after flash of colourful fireworks, Rose and Juleka knew one thing for certain. whatever came their way in the new year, they would always have each other's backs come hell or high water. And as they both dwelled on that fact, a smile filled both of their faces as they tenderly leaned into each other and closed their eyes.


	2. Day 2: Stargazing

It was a late night on the rivers of Paris, and Rose and Juleka were both hanging out on Juleka's houseboat for the evening. Both girls were lounging around on the deck together, with Luka strumming away on his guitar in the background. The city streets were illuminated by row after row of lamps, with windows shining concentrated light through the glass. Even with the light around them, the two still had a great view of the stars above.

"Wow... The stars above look extra pretty tonight." Rose looked up in awe at the stars above her and Juleka. The way that they shone gave her a homely feeling as if she was tucked in bed with her favourite plushies. "Do you and your brother always get stargazing spots as good as this, Juleka?"

"Well, as long as it's not raining." Juleka nodded as she put her hands behind her head. "But seriously, this is the best kind of place to check out the stars. Especially if you're sailing down the Seine. You try checking out the stars anywhere else in Paris, the light pollution shuts those dreams straight down. Luka and I are pretty lucky to have views like this."

"She's right, y'know," Luka said, taking a brief moment to stop playing his guitar to address the two girls. "When Juleka was little, I used to show her the stars every night before she went to bed. It always gave her sweet dreams whenever she went to bed."

"Yep." Juleka sat up and watched as Luka came over. "You remember which constellation was my favourite, don't you, Luka?"

"Of course I do, Juleka. Leo. The mighty lion." Luka gave a nod. "You always talked about it would make you so much stronger when you got older. I was more of a fan of Ophiuchus myself, but hey. Different strokes for different folks. And besides, it's not like it's one of the twelve star signs."

"Do you have a favourite constellation, Rose?" Juleka decided to ask, turning her gaze to Rose's, who was still focused on the skies above. "I mean, it's totally fine if you don't. Just wanted to check, is all."

"Oh, I have one, Rose. It's just that I don't think I've ever seen it in the sky before. I've seen it plenty of times on star charts and in books at college." Rose propped herself up with both her arms. "Ever heard of the Puppis constellation?"

"I think I know what you're on about, Rose." Juleka looked up to the skies again to see if she could find Rose's constellation. "With a name like Puppis, you'd think that it looks like a dog, right?"

"Mmhmm. But it's actually not shaped like a dog at all. I just chose Puppis because of how it sounds like puppies. And I'd just love to get a puppy of my own someday." Rose explained as she scoured the sky, looking at constellation after constellation. She could see many a formation in the night sky; stars twinkling down on her like diamonds in an inky sea of dark indigo. "Oh, if I could see it, that would make tonight amazing!"

Juleka could only smile. Of course Rose would choose the constellation based on how it sounded. "Well, keep at it, girl. I'm sure it'll be up there tonight."

And with that, the two of them started to search the sky for Rose's constellation. Puppis wasn't exactly a commonly known star cluster, but if it was the one that Rose loved the most, then Juleka had to do her best to see if she could find it. Even if it took her the whole night. And if they couldn't find it, then it wasn't that big of a deal, because at the very least, they were watching the stars in the sky shine elegantly down on them as a sign of hope and goodwill for the future.

During Juleka and Rose's star searching escapades, Luka went back over to his guitar and resumed playing. He started strumming out a different tune to set the mood for the girls. It was a simple, yet beautiful melody that he had learned from when he was a boy. Every single pluck of the strings, each chord that he strummed out, and every note that came out had meaning to it and flowed majestically. Even if Rose and Juleka were the only ones around to hear it, so long as he got his song out, it was all that mattered.

"Y'know, Rose, if we can't find the stars that you wanted to see, at least we've both got each other." Juleka finally said, tearing her eyes away from the sky for a moment to look into Rose's eyes. "And, truth be told, you're more beautiful than any constellation there ever was."

"Y-you really mean it?" Rose asked, pulling her eyes from the skies now to return the look into Juleka's eyes.

"Of course I do, Rose." Juleka smiled, completely unaware that her hand was drifting towards Rose and laid itself down on her hand. "You're always a ray of sunshine; even in the darkest night. It's been so much fun to do all these things with you."

"Thanks, Juleka. You're just as beautiful too, y'know. Especially in the middle of the night." Rose now noticed her hand underneath Juleka's. Those same eyes travelled up the arm directly into Juleka's. "No matter what happens, I hope that we can be together for a lot more years after this."

"I'm sure that we will, Rose. So long as you wanna be friends that long." Juleka blushed slightly, then turned back to the skies for a moment. Sure enough, she saw a constellation that looked like a slightly squiggly trapezoid with a panhandle sticking out of the top left end of the trapezoid. "Hey, Rose? Is that Puppis?"

"Huh?" Rose looked to the skies and saw the constellation hanging in the skies. "It is!" Rose's eyes twinkled with glee as she watched Puppis shine splendidly in the night. "Oh, Juleka. This has been one of the best stargazing nights ever!" Rose threw herself into Juleka's body and gave her a tight hug; rubbing her head against Juleka's neck.

"You're welcome, Rose." Juleka chuckled lightly and returned the hug; closing her eyes as she felt into Rose's embrace in return. Underneath the kaleidoscope of stars and beside the golden lights of the street, the two girls spend the rest of the night hugging as they watched the stars; serenaded by Luka's dulcet tones the whole night through. It was like something out of a fantasy novel for the two of them; one that they hoped would never come to an end.


	3. Day 3: Snowball Fight

It was a snowy day in the city of Paris. The sky was a pale white and the streets were coated in snow as far as the eye could see. Boys and girls of all ages were out there enjoying the snow. Snow angels, snowmen, snowball fights, sledging, anything involving snow. After all, they knew that Paris very rarely got snow, and it didn't last for very long after the fact. So they had to make every second count before the snow eventually melted away and ushered in the next seemingly average day.

In the Champs de Mars, Rose was breathing as she looked around for her quarry. She wore a pink coat with some pink gloves, as well as long trousers that ran all the way down to her ankles, where they disappeared underneath a pair of pink wellington boots. A pink, knitted hat rested delicately on her head with two tassels hanging down the side, with a pair of flaps keeping her ears warmed. A snowball; freshly rolled and ready to be hurled was in her hands. Her face had already taken more than a few snowballs that day, as Rose's rosy red cheeks showed. The last little detail was that she had painted lipstick on her face as warpaint; to show how serious she was taking this battle.

"C'mon, Juleka... Where are you?" Rose asked, looking around through the trees and the park. She could see that there were other people playing around; fighting their own snowball wars. But none of them were her target. Rose's eyes shifted from left to right and she curled her head around the trees to see if Juleka was hiding anywhere. Rose had to admit, all the lack of her girlfriend was really starting to worry her.

Juleka watched Rose from one of the other trees, seeing her shaking in her boots. Juleka took the moment to rush from one tree to the other; causing Rose to jerk her head towards the movement. A snowball rested in Juleka's gloved hands as well. Now, it was simply a matter of time before she came running. Straight into her ambush.

"Personal log. Time, eleven o' clock. Location, Champs de Mars. It's been around five minutes since Juleka went into hiding following the great snowfall of a few minutes ago." Rose mumbled to herself as she held her hands together, paranoidly looking around her. "My face has already tasted the icy cold grip of the snow. And knowing Juleka, it'll be unlikely to stop unless I fight back. I promise to you, Mr. Twinklepants, I'm coming home. This is a war that I can win. And—"

"Ambush!" Juleka declared and burst out from behind the tree, launching her snowball at Rose's face once again. She watched as Rose yelped in surprise and recoiled at the hit of the snow. After which, Juleka ran a few feet back to give her some distance between herself and Rose so she could prepare the next snowball.

The hit taken, Rose could see Juleka clearly. She saw the hat that rested on Juleka's head, the black and purple gloves on her arms, the boots on her feet, and the fluffy black coat that she wore around her body. Rose knew that she couldn't waste anymore time as she watched Juleka load up another snowball for the coming skirmish. Rushing forward, Rose lobbed her snowball at Juleka, striking her hat and knocking it clean off. Juleka's hat landed daintily in the snow, but she was mostly unharmed. And that was the moment she counterattacked and tossed her snowball at Rose's chest.

With Rose struck by the snow once again, Juleka took the moment to retrieve her hat. Leaning down, she took the hat off and dusted the snow off of it, then stuck it back on her head to continue the coming war. Then, she felt something striking her butt. It had to have been another snowball from the way that it sounded and with how cold it felt. A shiver ran down Juleka's spine as she shook off the attack from Rose.

"Direct hit!" Rose fist-pumped as she watched Juleka recoil from the snowy strike. She didn't have any time to waste as she watched Juleka ready up another snowball. Rose watched as Juleka wound up the snowball and threw it, prompting Rose to duck. She ducked so fast that she ended up losing her balance and landed on her stomach. As she tried to get back up, Juleka rolled up another snowball and struck the girl while she was down. "G-gah! Girl down! Tell my plushies I love them!" She comically stuck her tongue out and closed her eyes, making Juleka think that she had been struck down.

Juleka reached down for Rose and tried to help her get back up. Little did Juleka know that it was exactly what Rose wanted, as her hand had been balling up more snow. And once Juleka stood Rose back up, that was just the opening that she needed. Rose smothered Juleka's face with the snowball, causing her to splutter and stumble backwards, shaking her head to get the snow out of her face. Now, Juleka's face was turning red from how much snow had been applied to her face.

"Cheap shot, Rose." Juleka smirked as she squatted down and took some more snow. "But I'm cheaper!" It was more than just a regular snowball. It was a mound of snow; one that she was making bigger and bigger with each scoop. With the snow big enough, Juleka hurled it at Rose's chest. The hit was so powerful that it caused Rose to fall back onto her butt.

Instead of shivering, however. Rose could only laugh as she got back up to her feet, dusting the snow off of her butt. "You're really getting into this, aren't you, Juleka?"

"So are you, Rose." Juleka smirked as she pulled Rose close to her. "We never really get much snow these days, so why not go all the way?"

"Hehe. Yep. That's just how a snowball fight's supposed to be. No holds barred, stakes raised to the top, snow flung everywhere, the two of us shivering, and all the while, we're making memories together." Rose said as she brushed her face with her gloves. "I just wish we had more snow days like this."

"Me too, Rose. Me too. There's just something about snow that makes the world look so much prettier." Juleka scooped up another ball of snow and crumpled it up into another snowball. "To see the world around you blanketed in white like this; to see the landmarks of the city you know and love topped with snow, it's like you've stepped into another world; one that's full of wonder and delight. And to know that you can play with the snow; to mould it into your hands, make things out of it, or throw it at people you love like this—" She took that moment to throw the snowball at Rose's shoulder, causing her to laugh. "You can't help but love it."

"The way you worded it, Juleka, it makes snow seem even more wonderful." Rose was always a fan of whenever Juleka used her words the way she just did. She knew that Juleka was one of the most sensitive girls that she had ever known, but that also made her a master of speaking her mind and speaking about the stuff around her. "I'm glad that if I'm losing this snowball war, that I'm losing to you."

"Who said you're losing? If anything, you're winning. Remember the great snow split of when we started this battle? You totally caught me with my pants down." Juleka chuckled.

"Well, you're not too bad yourself, Juleka. You're a master of the art of the snowball." Rose put her hands together and bowed, as if she was a student learning under the tutelage of a sensei. "Teach me, o wise Juleka. What other skills are there for me to learn on these snowy battlegrounds?"

"What other skills? Well, here's a trick I like to call the art of speed snowing." Juleka snapped her arm down to the snow and took a large patch of snow with a singular motion. She swung her arm in the opposite direction and tossed another snowball at Rose's legs, then did the same with the other hand. "See that? As fast as the naked eye, two more snowballs came speeding towards you. Just like that."

"I see." Rose said, then tried to mimic Juleka's actions. Instead of going for the legs, however, Rose went for the face on both occasions. One snowball strike and Juleka resorted to wiping her face. As soon as she pulled her hands away from her face, Rose tossed another snowball at her, causing her to make the kind of noise your mouth makes whenever you get hit by something. "Haha! The student has become the master, huh?"

"Oh, that's the way you wanna play it, is it?" Juleka grinned a devious grin and went for the snow again; resuming the snowy battle between her and Juleka.

The two girls giggled and laughed the day away as they tossed snowball after snowball at each other. They both landed hit after hit on each other as they tried to get the upper hand in this mighty feud between girls on the snowy warzone of Paris. One thing was for sure as they took and dished out the snow. They were both having the time of their lives. And as they thought, the two of them wondered when the snow would come again so that they could rekindle this kind of fun feud. Still, for the time being, they went at it with their snowballs without a care in the world.


	4. Day 4: Celebrate

"Aaaaand, perfect." Marinette stopped recording as soon as Kitty Section's newest song came to its' end. As soon as the camera went off, Juleka, Rose, Luka, and Ivan laid down their instruments and came over to Marinette's side. "You all knocked it out of the park again, everyone. You should be proud of yourselves."

"Yeah, we are." Juleka grinned as she took off her mask, revealing her face once again. "That should be our band's first album ready to go, right, Rose?"

"Yeah! Kitty Section finally has a proper album!" Rose threw her arms up, yanking her stage mask off of her face as well.

"Y'know, I didn't think we'd get this far, to be totally honest." Ivan removed his Kitty Section mask and laid it down on the drumkit. "I thought this'd be a one-hit-wonder when we started this band, but you've definitely put in the work keeping this band afloat, Rose."

"Thanks, Ivan. But it's not just me who's put the work into Kitty Section. All of you did your parts and you've all made this band awesome." Rose clasped her hands together. "Luka, thank you so much for your work with the guitar. Ivan, your work with the drums has been out of this world. Juleka, you've made that guitar your very own. And Marinette? Thank you for making these outfits. I feel like you've really helped give Kitty Section its' own identity."

"Thanks, Rose." Marinette lightly rubbed the ground with the tip of her shoes. "All I did was make the clothes. You guys are the ones that make this band what it is; not me."

"Don't be so modest, Mari. This is the kind of stuff that we couldn't have done without you." Juleka came over and laid a hand on Marinette's shoulders. "We're also grateful that you've helped us record this album. I know you've got a lot of stuff on your plate as it is."

"Oh, it's nothing, really." Marinette just coiled some hair around her fingers. "Anything to help out my friends."

"So, all that's left to do is put all of these songs together, and boom." Luka came strolling over to the recording equipment. He played it back, bopped his head to the music, then once he was done, saved the recording and made a copy on a USB stick. "Alright, everyone. I just need a few minutes with this and we should be ready to go."

"Alright." Juleka came over to Luka's side to see what he was doing with the songs that they had sung. "Y'know, looking back on it, I have to say that we look good like this. Especially with the editing that we do on these kinds of videos."

"Ya think you'll be playing in gigs soon, Rose?" Marinette asked as she watched the rest of the band gather around the equipment.

"Oh, I think we will be soon, Marinette." Rose flashed her a smile. "All it starts with is an album. Then, the rest of it comes rolling in."

"I... don't think that's exactly how it works, Rose." Marinette had some apprehensions about Rose's band. And rightly so, since it was an indie band. It wasn't like their band was gonna be the next Jagged Stone or god forbid, the next XY.

"Well, whatever stuff happens with our band, I do know one thing for sure." Juleka pushed her fingers together. "We _totally_ have to celebrate."

"Yeah, we do." Ivan cracked a smile. "Putting out an album's no mean feat. I'd say we've earned it."

"Ivan's right, y'know. I say that we go out and enjoy ourselves." Luka folded his arms. "You got anywhere in particular, girls? I'm down for anything."

"We should totally get something nice from André!" Rose squeaked as she thought of the idea of licking away at one of his signature ice-creams. "I'm sure that he'll make us something extra-special on a day like this."

"He _does_ have a penchant for making ice-cream taste good." Juleka grinned as she wrapped her arm around Rose's shoulders. "If you wanna hang with André and his ice-creams, then I'm down for it as well."

"Sounds like you girls have a plan in mind." Ivan crossed his arms. "Well, I'm not one to say no to a good stack of ice-cream from André. I'll be right there with you."

"Alright then. Sounds like it's settled. A trip to André's it is." Luka folded his arms as well.

As Kitty Section talked about their plans of celebratory ice cream, Juleka and Rose went into the next room together and closed the door behind them. Away from the rest of their bandmates and friends, the two of them finally had a moment to breathe and look into each other's eyes.

"I still can't believe that we actually did it, Juleka." Rose was the first one to break the silence between the two of them. "Our own personal album!"

"Thanks, Rosie. For getting me involved in this." Juleka wasted no time and pulled Rose into a hug; wrapping her arms around her back. "Like, for real, girl. You've really helped me express myself in more ways than just my words."

"You're welcome, Juleka. I'm glad that you're enjoying your place in Kitty Section. Especially with how hard it can get sometimes..." Rose knew all too well that Juleka's life was one fraught with ups, downs, and other emotional moments. Anything that she could do to help Juleka overcome the stress and turmoil of everyday life made her life all the sweeter.

"Oh, absolutely. It's nice to keep to myself occasionally, but more often than not, I'll end up being miserable if I don't get out there and branch out more." Juleka flexed her fingers outwards. "There's a lot to see and do in this life, and I think it'll be tons better if I get out there and express myself. Turns out, joining Kitty Section was one of my better life choices."

"I'm glad you think that. You're one of the best guitarists we could find." Rose pulled Juleka in close, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "I hope you keep playing for us, Juleka. The band wouldn't be the same without you."

"And it wouldn't be the same without you and your wonderful lyrics." Juleka reciprocated Rose's compliments. "For a band as cutesy-sounding and sweet as Kitty Section is, you have ways of making it sound much more unique and exotic. Especially with that last song we did together."

"Mmhmm. I figured that I was doing too many songs on unicorns and kittens, so I wanted to branch out a little." Rose splayed her fingers outward and tilted them like a seesaw. "When you think about it, lions and tigers are big cats, so I didn't think we'd be getting too far off-brand by going for them."

"It's a clever idea, Rose. And I think it fits you perfectly." Juleka chuckled, rubbing her hand down Rose's cheek.

"Aww, thanks, Juleka." Rose smiled back.

"Any time, Rose." Juleka turned back towards the door. "Now c'mon. Let's go get something nice from André's stand."

Rose and Juleka finally emerged from the room and rejoined the rest of Kitty Section. Their discussions and chatting done, the whole group left the Couffaine family houseboat behind and walked back on terra firma once again. The group made their way down the streets in their new quest; the hunt to find André's ice cream stand and tuck into the icy spoils of their hard work.


	5. Day 5: Breakfast In Bed

The sunlight was streaking through Rose's bedroom. Rose herself was still snugly wrapped up underneath the sheets of her bed. Which, much like the rest of her room, were pink and depicted unicorns on the cover. She was smacking her lips softly as she woke from her slumber; her hands still wrapped around Mr. Twinklepants; her favourite stuffed unicorn. At last, Rose woke from her slumber and propped herself up on her bed, ready to face the hardships of the day.

No sooner had she woken up when the door opened up, revealing a blonde woman with red glasses, a tight pair of jeans, and a plain red top on. This was Rose's mother. She stood in the doorway with her hands by her side. Looking into the room, she saw that Rose had just woken up and was ready to take on the day ahead.

"Rose?" Her mother spoke. "I hope you don't mind, but there's someone here to see you."

"Who is it, mom?" Rose asked, sitting straight up, resting her head against the upholstery of her bed's headboard.

"It's your friend, Juleka." Rose's mother stepped aside, revealing Juleka on the other side, holding up a tray with food on it including cereal, toast, fruit, and a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice. "She wanted to give you your breakfast today. I hope that's alright."

"Yeah, mom. That's great." Rose grinned. The girl of her dreams was here, delivering her breakfast directly to her. The day hadn't even begun yet and just from Juleka's presence alone, it was already starting to look like a good one. "Good morning, Juleka."

"Morning, Rosie." Juleka grinned softly as she walked over and laid the breakfast tray down in front of Rose. "I figured you'd like some breakfast in bed."

"It sure does look nice." Rose was looking at the plethora of food that Juleka had laid out for her. Most of it she could make with her own hands, but on a morning like this, it was quite refreshing to see breakfast be made by someone else; especially by Juleka. "Did you make it all yourself, or did mom give you a helping hand?"

"A little bit of both. But most of it was me." Juleka flirted as she watched Rose picking up a piece of toast. The butter had been spread thinly and the crumbs trickled down onto the plate as Rose took it off and brought it close to her mouth. "I wanted to make it as special as it could be for you, Rose."

"Well, it certainly looks good. But there's more to food than just looking nice. It's gotta taste nice too." Rose knew straight away not to expect much, since she was taking a bite out of a piece of buttered toast. Still, she brought her teeth down onto the toast and crunched it, breaking off a portion of the food. As she began to chew and let the flavours dance around in her mouth, she thought about how much Juleka had poured her heart and soul into this breakfast in bed. Even now, for a simple piece of buttered toast, Rose could tell there was something special about it; something that she couldn't have thought about even if her mother had made the toast herself. The way that the bread had been so smoothly buttered and distributed, the way that the crumbs ran down her chest as she continued to crunch away at the toast, and the warm feeling that it left behind once she was done all came together wonderfully, like a four-piece harmony of toasty goodness. "Wow, Juleka. This is... something."

"Something good, or..." Juleka probed.

"Oh, it's good. It's very good, actually." Rose's eyes lit up. Then, she took another bite out of the toast. "I'm glad that you did this for me, Juleka. This is a really nice surprise."

"You know, Juleka. You did an awful lot for Rose this morning that I think it's only fair that you have some breakfast in bed too." Rose's mother said, prompting Juleka to turn and face her. "You can borrow Susie's bed for the time being. She's staying over at a friend's house for a sleepover, so I'm sure she won't mind."

"You sure about that? I don't wanna be a bother..." Juleka twiddled her fingers. She didn't think that she would be in a bed eating breakfast with Rose as well.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, Juleka. Susie's an awfully excitable little girl. If she notices something up, we can always say that unicorns came into her room when she wasn't home and she'll eat it up straight away." Rose said, looking over at Susie's side of the room. It was just as equally pink and unicorn-worshipping as Rose's side but to a much more extreme detail. It made Rose's side of the room look mature and restrained as a result, and that was saying something.

"Well, if you think it won't be trouble, I guess it's alright." Juleka looked over at the bed. It was practically the same size as the one Rose was in. If anything, the worst-case-scenario would be that her feet would hang out over the edge. "Yeah, y'know what? I'm down for some breakfast in bed." Juleka walked over to the bed and pulled the covers up, then promptly clambered in, wrapping the covers over her body. The cold sensation was quickly mitigated by the warmth of the heavy covers sandwiching Juleka into the bed.

"Alright then, Juleka. Got any preferences on what you wanna eat?" Rose's mother asked as she watched Juleka get comfy in Susie's bed.

"Eh, I'm not really picky on what I eat." Juleka replied as she propped her head against the headboard of Susie's bed; one that was branded to a TV show called Unicorn Sparkle Friendship Squad.

"Well, sit tight then. I'll be right back with something that I just know you'll love." And with those words, Rose's mother left both Juleka and Rose snuggled up in their beds and went to make some more food for her guest.

"How do you like my little sister's bed, Juleka?" Rose asked, looking over at Juleka.

"Not really got much of an opinion on beds, Rose. But if I can say one thing, I think I know where you got your love for unicorns from." Juleka made a chuckle as she looked down at the covers, which, again, were branded to the TV show Unicorn Sparkle Friendship Squad.

"Oh yeah. Susie used to get really insistent on watching that show with me when I was starting out at College Francois Dupont." Rose started, thinking back on the days before she had met Juleka; when Susie was one of the few people in her life she considered a partner in the world of unicorns and fluffy stuff. "Like, for real. She would throw temper tantrums unlike anything you've ever seen if she didn't get at least one episode in before school. Thank goodness Hawkmoth didn't show up while she was going through that phase, or she'd be getting Akumatised every single day."

"Wow." Juleka whistled as she looked down again at the covers. "She must be pretty hard to deal with sometimes, eh?"

"Yeah, but I still love her all the same. Once you look past the more... energetic parts of her, Susie's really a nice girl." Rose nodded. "And I'm glad she's my sister, personally."

"Oh yeah, don't ever squander the bonds with your family, Rose. That's something Luka told me on my first day of school." Juleka replied. "They're gonna be the closest people in your life, bar none. Even I'm not that close."

"Well, I wouldn't say that, Juleka. You're plenty close," Rose leaned over. "If anything, I'd say you're like an honorary big sister with how much you wanna hang out with me."

"Wait, really? C'mon, Rose. You're just saying that, right?" Juleka's eyes shot straight open at those words.

"No, Juleka. I mean it. With how much fun we've had together, all the stuff that we've done, and all the memories that we've made, I'm pretty sure you're like a big sister to me." Rose knew what she was saying and who she was saying it too. She wasn't going to sugarcoat or withhold her feelings; especially with Juleka being the one she was talking to. "Thank you, Juleka, for everything."

Juleka blushed at each cheek. She had never felt this way before; especially with Rose saying these words to her. Eventually, fighting back her blush, she replied with, "You're welcome, Rose. Anything to make you happy."

And just like that, Rose's mother came back with a similar tray of food and laid it down for Juleka. The sight of the food was enough to pull Juleka's gaze away from Rose for a brief moment. Juleka looked up at Rose's mother and smiled.

"Enjoy it, girls. And feel free to call me if you need anything else," said Rose's mother and left the two girls alone to enjoy their breakfast in bed.

"How about a toast, Juleka?" Rose asked, and saw Juleka going for a slice of the toast. That made Rose giggle. "No, silly. I mean a toast with the orange juice we got." She said, raising her glass of orange juice to show what she meant. She watched as Juleka went for the OJ on her own tray of breakfast. "Here's to us. The two best soulmates in the whole of Paris."

"To us." Juleka replied and tried to reach over for Rose's glass, but the two beds were so far away from each other that it seemed impossible that either one of them would reach. Still, the two simulated the glasses clinking and began to drink, letting the orange run down their throats beautifully.


	6. Day 6: Kiss Me

Rose was frustrated. She had been with Juleka for over a year now and still she felt like they were only friends. They didn't really have anything else more to bond over; nothing to grow over. Something was missing from their relationship; something that she felt that the two of them needed. She had tried everything from gifts to songs, to nights out on the city, but none of it was sticking. No. Rose needed something more between her and Juleka. And she needed it now.

Eventually, the two of them found each other alone in the girls' bathroom at College Francois Dupont. Rose had just been washing her face by the sink when she noticed Juleka walk in. She brushed her face down with a paper towel and dumped it into the nearby bin. Then, she watched as Juleka went into one of the cubicles to do her business.

That gave Rose the time to brainstorm ideas for how she would tackle this sort of situation. What she would say, how she could phrase the conversation, what she could do to make their relationship more interesting. Rose thought about it over and over, coming up with new sentences and then promptly dumping those sentences because of how they either sounded too direct or too vague. Eventually, it got to the point where she couldn't think of anything to say. Before she could return to her thoughts, she heard a flushing noise, followed by seeing Juleka walk out of the stalls. She needed to act now.

"Oh! U-uh, h-hi, Juleka!" Rose sheepishly waved, making lame chuckles in an attempt to look like she was staying calm under pressure. "What a surprise running into you here!"

"Uh, y-yeah, I guess?" Juleka shrugged. She didn't know what Rose was on about. And she didn't know what she was thinking or had been trying to think about saying.

"Oh, I can't take this anymore!" Rose knew that she wouldn't get another moment like this. At least, not today. "Juleka, kiss me!"

"Wait, what? As in right now?" Juleka blinked at Rose's sudden proposition.

"Y-yes!" Rose blushed and threw her arms straight down. "There's something missing from our relationship, Julie. I know there is! And I feel like a kiss is the thing that's missing between the two of us!"

"Oh, well, if that's what you want, I mean..." Juleka came over to the flustered Rose and gave her a short peck on the cheek. It wasn't much of a kiss, but it was a kiss nonetheless.

"N-no! Not like that, Juleka. I mean a real kiss." Rose was still blushing ever so slightly. "Y'know, the kind of kiss that two people who are really, really, REALLY in love with each other would give? One on the cheek? Maybe lasts for more than a few seconds?"

"You sure that we're at that level in the relationship yet, Rose?" Juleka tilted her head to the side.

"We'll never know unless you try, y'know..." Rose blushed, looking into Juleka's eyes. She knew it. She had come off as too forceful, and now her girl was starting to notice just how forward she had been. A sigh fell from her lips. "I'm sorry, Juleka. I just wanted a kiss. A real kiss. Not just a pity kiss because I'm a dumb, stupid girl who can't think of the right things to say at times like this."

"Hey. You're not dumb, Rose." Juleka took that moment to be a bit impulsive as well. She looked into Rose's eyes and did what any kind of person would do in a situation like this. She pulled Rose close and gave her one of the most meaningful kisses she could muster. Lips met lips and she closed her eyes as Rose's shot wide open, then slowly closed back up again as she fell into Juleka's embraces. "Look, I don't know if that makes you feel any better, but it's making me feel awfully sad that you're not happy with how we've been getting on recently. I just... hope that makes up for it."

"Oh, Juleka..." Rose brought her hands together and looked into Juleka's eyes. Now, the two of them had been caught in an interesting juncture. In her desires to go further, Rose had ended up catching the both of them off-guard. It turns out that in reality, the two of them were fine with their relationship as it was and there wasn't anything more that she needed to do. What seemed like a little kiss had turned into one of the larger turning points for her and Juleka to date. A sign that their bond together was growing; and likely to continue on for years.

"Look, no matter what happens in the future, our relationship isn't just gonna go away like that, Rose. There's always gonna be something that we can do to keep on rekindling it. You don't need to ask anything more from me or from yourself." Juleka laid a hand on Rose's cheek and grinned at her. "As long as you keep on reminding yourself of that, I think we're fine just the way that we are."

"R-really?" Rose asked, mouth hanging open at how Juleka had worded the whole thing. "You really mean it?"

"You know that I do, girl." Juleka replied simply.

"W-well, I... uh..." Rose ended up blushing again. Now, she felt sheepish for this whole moment in the bathroom. "I actually do have one more thing to ask, Juleka." She twiddled her fingers. "I-I-If it's not too much trouble, that is?"

"Anything you want, Rosie." Juleka smiled.

"C-can I have another kiss?" Rose asked, then immediately flinched. "Th-th-that is, if you want to give me another kiss, that is. I don't wanna force it on you like the last one."

"Oh, Rose. If you want another kiss, there's nothing wrong with asking." Juleka held Rose close, locking her arms around Rose's back.

Both Juleka and Rose closed their eyes and leaned forward towards each other, ready to deliver another of their kisses to the other. Their lips pressed together gently and the two of them got to work, letting their mouths do the talking. Juleka and Rose's kiss went uninterrupted and the two of them sank into a state of bliss as they fell into the other's love. Entranced by it, they continued. It seemed like their little moment lasted for minutes until at last, the two of them stopped at the same time and looked into each other's eyes with a lustful grin.

"Wow..." Rose was the first one of them to speak. "You kiss really good, Jules."

"You too, Rose." Juleka replied back simply.

"So... you wanna head back? Or do you wanna keep it up?" Rose decided to ask.

"Hmm... I say give it a couple more minutes." Juleka thought about it, and deep down, she knew that it was true. Rose's kisses were unlike any she had ever felt before.

And with those words, the two of them went back to it. Rose and Juleka's lips met again and they once more fell into each other's loving embraces. It was clear for both of them. Rose loved Juleka. Juleka loved Rose. The two of them wanted to be together. Their kisses were a sign of their love towards one another. They wanted to be happy with each other. And so it would be that their kiss would continue. Because that, at the end of the day was what they both wanted. How they both knew their love would blossom and be nurtured.


	7. Day 7: Hide And Seek

A simple game of hide-and-seek should _not_ have gone this bad for Juleka. The two of them were just playing around in Rose's house when all of a sudden, it dawned on her that she had no idea where in the heck Rose could have hidden. Could she have taken somewhere to hide in her room, or maybe somewhere in the living room or the kitchen? Or maybe by Rose saying that the boundaries were the house, that also included the garden, therefore giving her more opportunities to hide from her. Either way, it had been a good fifteen minutes since Rose had gone missing and Juleka was stressing out. She had exhausted practically every single one of her plans and now, she was rushing around like an overworked parent trying to find her missing child; or in this case, a worried emo girl looking for the one girl that made her life happier.

Juleka returned to the kitchen once again and tried to think outside of the box. She practically upended the cushions and burrowed her head through the cracks like an ostrich would stick its' head into the ground. She looked around the cracks for signs of Rose, but all that she got were crumbs, dust, and other junk that had fallen down behind the sofa. Coughing and spluttering to herself, she popped her head back out of the sofa and started to put it back together while simultaneously brushing her hair down to get rid of the stuff that she had accrued in her little search.

"Oh, c'mon, Rose... This isn't funny anymore." Juleka muttered to herself as she looked behind the TV in an attempt to find Rose. All that she found were the wires that stretched out from the back of the TV and into the plugs on the wall and in the extension lead. "Where are you?!" She frustratedly declared as she left the living room behind. It was becoming increasingly apparent that Rose hadn't decided to hide there. Which meant one of three outcomes. One, Rose knew this house inside and out and wanted to make Juleka work for the satisfaction of finding her; two, Rose was changing her hiding spot every now and again, moving whenever Juleka wasn't looking in that general area anymore; or three, Rose was secretly a witch and this was all part of her way of practising her magic spells to make sure she would never get caught being a witch. Juleka blinked and immediately discounted that last idea. After all, if anyone was the most befitting of being a witch, it would have to be her.

Juleka came back to Rose's bedroom and decided to give it a double-check. Perhaps there was something she might have missed. Juleka knew that Rose's bedroom was one of the safer bets to make. If anything were to happen to her plushies, there would be hell to pay. Juleka knew first hand how defensive Rose was when it came to her unicorns and kitties. Whosoever laid a hand on them without her consent would have to answer to her, or Hawkmoth depending if Rose kept her grudge up long enough. Juleka got down onto her hands and knees and looked underneath the beds. First of all, she looked under Rose's bed. That was the most obvious start. Much to her dismay, Rose wasn't hiding underneath it. Juleka pulled her head out from underneath Rose's bed and went to check underneath Susie's bed. Perhaps Rose was thinking more out of the box than Juleka gave her credit for. Sadly, when she looked underneath said bed, there was nothing but the underside of the bed and some lost toys.

"Alright then. Rethink this. If I were Rose and I wanted to lead Juleka off of the scent, where would I be and what would I do?" Juleka said to herself as she pulled her head out from underneath Susie's bed. Firstly, she made sure that there was absolute silence. She tried to listen out for any signs of Rose's breathing. And when it became clear that there was no sign of breathing around her, she went over to the nearby closet door. It was one of those closets that was shaped like a door, where on the other side where all of Rose's—and likely Susie's—clothes were kept. "Worth a shot." She whispered to herself, then silently tiptoed over to the door.

Juleka placed her ear on the closet door to see if she could hear any sounds of Rose breathing on the other side. When nothing of the sort came, Juleka put her hands on the handles and slowly opened the door wide. When she did, she could see all of Rose and Susie's clothes either hanging up or neatly folded and placed into fabric boxes ready to wear. Juleka scanned the closet from top to bottom in an attempt to try and see if Rose had camouflaged herself within her closet clothes. Rose wasn't camouflaged at all, and there didn't seem to be any sign of her inside. But this was one of those closets where there was extra space off to the sides of the doors. That was what Juleka had been hoping for. More nooks and crannies to explore. She peaked her head to the right and sure enough, there was something there that definitely seemed out of place.

One of Rose's skirts was there, standing up. It was standing up as if something or someone was wearing it. Juleka smirked as she threw her head into the closet and saw Rose's face on the other side. Rose lit up and threw her arms around Juleka's body, giving her a tight hug. Juleka fell into Rose's hug and closed her eyes in contentment. She was just happy to be reunited with Rose after a stressful game of hide-and-seek.

"You found me, Juleka!" Rose squealed as she looked up into Juleka's eyes.

"Y-yeah. But you didn't make it too easy for me, girl." Juleka finally opened her eyes and stared into Rose's. "Like, you actually made me worry."

"Aww, I'm sorry, Juleka. But hey, it's over now. You don't have to worry about that kind of stuff anymore." Rose got out of Juleka's hug at last and closed the closet doors behind her. "And hey. Now it's your turn to hide. Let's see if you've learned anything from how I've been hiding."

"Oh, I'm sure that I've learned a thing or two from you, girl." Juleka flirted and took a few steps back. "Just give me the go-ahead and I'll hide. Promise not to make it too hard for you."

"Alright, Juleka. Get ready then." Rose put her hands in front of her face and started counting upwards. As she started counting, she heard Juleka bolt it out of the room to try and hide somewhere. Rose just kept on counting up and up until she was sure that Juleka had hidden. "Ready or not, here I come!" Rose pulled her hands back down from her face and started to look around for Juleka.

Juleka had chosen her territory and was now making the most out of it. She had decided to take up a hiding spot inside Rose's shower, hidden behind a blurry screen. She was sure that if Rose couldn't make her out, then she couldn't see her. Juleka's plan seemed fool proof, but sure enough, she saw that Rose came through the door at last. Her blood froze for a second and she held completely still as she watched Rose checking the bathroom for any signs of her. She watched as Rose checked out the bath, pulling back the curtains to see if Juleka was hiding behind there. When that was done, she came to the shower at last, inching closer and closer to Juleka. At last, the door was pulled back, and Juleka was caught out by Rose.

"G-gah!" Juleka jumped backwards when she saw Rose on the other side of the door. A sigh then tumbled out of her lips. "Darn it. Guess I'm not as good as hiding as you are, Rose." And she climbed out of the shower.

"Don't feel too bad about it, Juleka. You tried your very best and that's all that matters." Rose put a hand on Juleka's shoulder and patted it gently. "And besides. I know this house inside and out. I'll teach you all of the best spots to hide some day."

"Won't that make it easier for you to find me if you tell me all the best spots?" Juleka lifted a brow.

"Not for any other friends we invite around." Rose wagged her finger and flashed another grin.

"Well, now what?" Juleka finally asked as the two of them walked out of the bathroom together. "You wanna go outside and hang out with Marinette and the others?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me. C'mon. Let's go." Rose gave a nod and the two of them went down the stairs, ready for another day out on the streets of Paris with the rest of their friends. At least there, they didn't have to hide from each other or from them.


	8. Day 8: Sweater Swap

Juleka and Rose hadn't even tried this kind of thing before. They had shared many things with each other in the past. Their food, their houses, their test scores, their experiences, and many more. But this was completely uncharted territory. Rose was wearing a sweater. Juleka was also wearing a sweater. Rose's sweater was—as you'd expect—pink with unicorns embroidered onto it. Juleka's was also pretty predictable; a black sweater with an inky purple rose stitched into the center. But not for a single moment had the two considered swapping each other's sweaters. It was practically unheard of for both of them.

But yet, here they were. They were cold on this frosty January morning. Their bodies quaking from the cold air that had been lashing against their bodies. And lord only knew that their coats wouldn't do a thing for them now if they were still feeling shivers. Rose and Juleka looked into each other's eyes as they took a breath together; both making miniature clouds with it, seeing as how it was that time of the year. They needed an idea on how to get warm and fast, before they got even colder.

"I got nothing, Juleka." Rose finally said through chattering teeth. "My fingers are so cold and I didn't bring any gloves..."

"Me neither. Didn't think it'd be this cold out, Rose." Juleka could only offer her hands to Rose's who quickly took them and tried to rub them with hers in an attempt to heat them up. While there was some brief respite of heat, the moment she stopped, the cold came back.

"Oh, why did Aurore have to take the week off and let some other weather kid try to control our fate?! CURSE YOU, RANDOM KIDZ+ WEATHER PERSON!" Rose barked to the skies, waving her fist vengefully at it. Her rant over, she turned to Juleka, still shaking from the cold, with nothing but the sweater on her chest and the trousers and shoes on her legs to suffice for heat. "Oh, how are we ever gonna survive?"

"Well, there's nothing really we can do. The only feasible thing I can see that we could try is to, I dunno, change our clothes?" Juleka shrugged, yet she too still wanted the cold to be gone. She didn't like stuff like this; especially those that were harmful to her and to her precious bean of a friend, Rose. "N-not into something else, I mean putting our sweaters onto each other's bodies."

"You sure about that, Juleka?" Rose tilted her head. "I fail to see how that would be able to help."

"Eh, you never know. If anything, we could at least see how the other half wears our stuff." Juleka explained as she put her hands on her hips and took another breath, puffing out another cloud of cold mist. "What do you think, Rose? Ya got nothing to lose. You're already freezing as it is."

"Well, I suppose anything's better than nothing." Rose twiddled her fingers; which were still freezing, by the way. "Okay, let's try this." And quick as a flash, Rose shuffled around and burrowed her head and arms underneath the sweater; already feeling the cold as she dislodged her sweater, revealing her plain pink skirt underneath.

Juleka did the same with her sweater. She dug her head underneath the sweater and pulled it off of her body, revealing her casual clothes. She held the sweater out to Rose and watched as she did the same with her sweater. Juleka then made the first move and pulled Rose's sweater off of Rose's hands, watching as Rose did the same with her sweater. With her girlfriend's sweater in her possession, Juleka slung it over her head and put it on. It was a higher fit than what she was used to; most likely because she had never worn any of Rose's clothes before in her life. It was a challenge to even get into the neck hole, but Juleka persevered on and finally poked her head through the hole, then proceeded to do the same with the sleeves. At last, after much trial and tribulations, Juleka was finally clad in Rose's pink unicorn sweater; feeling just how tight it was against her body.

Rose, on the other hand, found it effortless to squeeze into Juleka's sweater. Because of how large it was Rose put it on in seconds. Because of how loose it was, the sleeves actually hung from her arms and drooped down like fruit hanging from branches on a tree. It didn't offer much in the ways of tightness and extra heat; if anything, it was leaving Rose open to more cold air, but it was on at the very least. The black sweater with its' sewn-on rose was on Rose's body; a proud testament to Juleka with how she adorned it.

"So, uh... this what you wanted?" Rose asked, splaying her arms out to show off the sweater of Juleka's that now hung daintily on her arms.

"Not exactly good for heat, I'll admit." Juleka replied; her entire chest constricted by Rose's unicorn sweater, but at least she could see clearly how Rose looked. With the clothes that she was wearing, Juleka couldn't help but feel that Rose looked different somehow. As if she was somehow more cute then usual. She blushed ever so slightly as she drank in the sight of Rose in her sweater, as she was hoping Rose was doing the same with Juleka's sweater. "But at least there's something that we _can_ take away from this."

"Y-yeah, I see it, Juleka. Do you see it?" Rose asked as she looked at Juleka's new attire. She had to admit that the way that Juleka was wearing Rose's unicorn-adorned sweater was also a welcome change of style. It was like seeing Juleka as a completely different person, even when deep down, Rose knew almost everything about her. "You look... cute with that sweater on."

"S-so do you, Rose." Juleka lifted her finger at Rose's chest. "I think changing sweaters actually helped us out a little bit." With Juleka talking about Rose's new look, she had completely forgotten about the cold sensations of the air around her.

"So... do you wanna change back now or..." Rose couldn't even think of the proper words to say as she looked at Juleka's unicorn-draped chest. The fact that Juleka of all people was wearing her pink, bubbly, and unicorn-covered clothes was almost surreal for Rose to even think about.

"N-no, I'm happy like this, Rose. That is if you're happy with wearing my stuff." Juleka lifted her hands defensively. For as tight as it was, if Rose was enjoying looking at her like this, then she didn't want to change back for love nor money.

"Okay then. Guess we'll just keep on wearing them." Rose gave a nod and held Juleka's hands again. "Come on. Let's go find somewhere warm, okay?" And with those words, Rose and Juleka went down the roads, off to find some warm, safe shelter from the arctic chill of the cold day that was happening around them.


	9. Day 9: Northern Lights

Juleka knew that there was only one girl she needed to impress; one girl that mattered above all others. It wasn't Marinette, it wasn't her mother, and it wasn't even herself. Juleka only needed one girl's happiness to keep her going in this crazy world of hers; Rose. Rose Lavillant was the one girl in the world that she pined for; that she cherished; that she could not live without. That's why everything Juleka did for Rose, she needed to make sure that she didn't make her upset. The last thing that she wanted was for the girl of her dreams to be soured by any mistakes that she made.

It was a simple Wednesday morning like any other, and both Rose and Juleka were heading to their school; College Francois Dupont together. The two of them didn't have anything else planned for their day and their day was fairly straight forward, all things considered. Just go to their school, do their work, hang out, go home, talk about the stuff they did at their respective homes. It wasn't much, but it was something that showed just how much they had grown if they were sharing each other's itineraries.

"Good morning, Rose." Juleka was the first one of the two to greet each other on their respective walk to the college.

"Juleka!" Rose saw Juleka coming straight away and ran towards her, throwing her arms around Juleka for a tight hug. Under the dimly lit light of the French morning sky, the two of them shared their moment together, then walked off, arms linked together. Seeing each other already put a pep in their step and they were ready for whatever the world could throw at them. "So, how was your morning?"

"Eh, same-old, really. I got up, had breakfast, Luka played me some beats for his new song. The usual, really." Juleka casually replied as she looked into Rose's eyes. "How about you? Still the same kind of deal with you and Susie?"

"Yeah. Susie really wanted me to stick around for more stuff, but mom had to send her off to school. And a good thing she did, otherwise I would've been late." Rose started to chatter away about her morning life. "And thank goodness that she did. I mean, bless her heart, she just wants to play and have fun, but I don't wanna get in trouble with Mr. D'argencourt today for being late. It's just not right."

"I mean, we could always take the metro if we fell behind. That's what some of the other kids do on mornings like these," Juleka explained. "I mean, take a look at Kim. Guy's gotta take the trains just because he's trying to race Alix every morning. And she's always rollerskating. By the time Kim gets there, he's either way behind her or he's just barely ahead. There's no in-between."

"He could always just stop racing with Alix, y'know. But if it's what makes him happy then I guess we shouldn't really intervene." Rose looked up to the sky and that was when she stopped in her tracks; her hands practically pulling Juleka to a halt as Rose was fixated on something in the sky. Something otherworldly, something new, something she had never seen before on a morning like this. "Juleka! Look up!" Rose prompted and pointed skyward.

"What is it, Rose?" Juleka looked up to see what Rose was about and that was when she saw it as well. Hanging above the girls' heads was a special kind of occurrence; one that was incredibly rare for people in Paris. The aurora borealis, more commonly known as the Northern Lights, were shining through the sky as magical ribbons of light from another world. "Wow..." Juleka was mesmerised by the colours of the Northern Lights, always changing, shifting, and dancing around in the sky so seamlessly and elegantly. It was a once-in-a-lifetime sight that she couldn't pull herself away from. And from the looks of it, neither could Rose.

"Oh, Juleka, this is wonderful!" Rose was also caught off-guard and completely in love with the Northern Lights above her and Juleka. They hadn't even thought about going up north to see them for real and here they were in Paris. "Like, for real, girl, you should totally take a picture before it goes!"

Juleka was snapped out of the trance briefly by Rose's words and fished her phone out. She fumbled around with it and nearly dropped it trying to open up the photo app. Sure enough, she got the application opened, aimed her camera at the sky and waited for the best shot she could muster, then clicked the button, causing her camera to let out a flash as it captured the sight of the Northern Lights; permanently capturing it for all of time. She heard another click and saw Rose was doing the same with a similar camera app. Her picture was the same as Juleka's, except a slightly more pink shade.

"Wow..." Rose looked back at her picture and examined the majesty of the Northern Lights. "We should totally share our pictures with the rest of the class, see what they think of it." Rose had the idea as she looked at Juleka's snapshot of the Northern-Lights-filled skies. "They'll totally be pleased with the stuff that we got; especially Ms. Bustier. She's been wanting to see these for a while now!"

"Before we do, Rose, there's still one more picture that I wanna take." Juleka saw a picturesque shot coming up. The two of them were close to the parapets near the Seine. There was a lot of wide-open sky beyond, with the Northern Lights seeming much more free and unrestrained out there, with a wonderful view of Notre Dame on the other side of the river. "What do you say, girl? Up for a double-selfie with these things?"

"Oh, you know it, Juleka." Rose saw Juleka's idea straight away and raced over to the position with her phone in her hands. She watched as Juleka sprinted over with her phone also tightly secured. Both girls had their cameras up and ready to go, Rose turned to Juleka and said, "Whenever you're ready."

Juleka and Rose lifted their cameras up high and held them out as far as their arms would let them. They flipped the lenses of their cameras so that they were now taking selfies instead of shooting the sky with their cameras. They got themselves and the river in clearly, so they leaned their arms down to try and capture the sky and Notre Dame. Rose got the first angle set up and directed Juleka to it. She cracked a smile and watched as Rose flashed the camera, then got a good angle for Rose to take notice of. Once she did, Juleka alerted Rose to it, then grinned as Rose did the same. Juleka pushed her camera's button and the picture was taken.

"Got it!" Both girls spoke in unison and compared their shots together, giving each other a hug before putting the cameras away, going on with their day; ready to tell all of their friends at College Francois Dupont about the Northern Lights adventure they had had.

"Hey, Rose? When do you think we'll ever get something like this again?" Juleka was the first one to pose the question as the two of them walked down the road again.

"I dunno, Juleka. Not unless we go up north to actually see the Northern Lights in their natural habitat." Rose shrugged. "But that just means we should all make the most of it while we still can.

"You're right, Rose..." Juleka pondered the possibility of the Northern Lights ever showing up in Paris again in her lifetime; let alone Rose's. "One more picture?"

"You bet." Rose gave a nod, and both girls scurried on back to where they had been to get another camera shot in.


	10. Day 10: Quarantined

Both Juleka and Rose knew that this had to have been coming eventually. That big, bad, nasty virus that had been declared a global pandemic had been sweeping the world like a ravenous plague of insects; infecting everyone that came into contact with. It seemed like only the other day when it was only a handful of cases; but now, the whole world was in a massive state of emergency and life was being thrown on its' head. And for Rose and Juleka, they were just another two souls that caught swept away by the vicious maelstrom of this pandemic and forced to quarantine themselves in an attempt to stop the spread from getting to anyone else that they knew and loved.

Rose and Juleka were both in their respective beds in their respective houses, holding large tablets in their hands. They were looking through the screen, where their partner was bungled up in bed, bundled up and warm; keeping themselves safe from the ravenous virus that had ripped through Paris like a force of nature.

"Hey, Rose." Juleka was the first one of the two to speak up. Before she could say anything else, though, a pair of coughs escaped her lips. "How's it hanging?"

"I'm fine, but what about you, Juleka? You don't have... the virus, do you?" Rose shivered, having taken Juleka's coughs into account. That was one of the symptoms of this massive pandemic; the constant and persistent coughs. "Please, Julie. Don't die on me. Who else will I be able to share my love for unicorns with?"

"Oh, I dunno, Rose. The rest of Marinette's friends, maybe?" Juleka rolled her eyes. "I'm not the only friend you have, you know."

"I know, but you're my _**best friend**_." Those two words that came out of Rose's mouth elicting a wide-eyed stare from Juleka; followed by another cough. Rose saw the terrible state that Juleka was in and got more and more worried. She wanted to run all the way over there right this second to give her friend a hug, but under the current circumstances of the world—and an actually sane order from Mayor André Bourgeois—she couldn't. "Oh, Juleka, as soon as this lockdown gets lifted, I'm coming over and giving you the biggest hug I can give you!"

"Thanks, Rose." Juleka gave Rose a weak smile before another cough came tumbling out of her lips again. "You're a real bestie, y'know that?"

"You too, Juleka." Rose knew that Juleka would be one of the people that would pull through. The data that this pandemic was showing was that it only seemed to be killing off people who had degrading heath conditions and people who were already infected with an underline medical condition. Rose was sad to know that this was a killing virus, and she greatly mourned the losses of those that had been taken by it, but it would have been extra devastating if she lost Juleka to this pandemic. Even now, her in this condition was already putting her on edge. "No matter what happens, you've gotta get better. Please? It'd be devastating if I lost you, Julie."

"Hey, Rose." Juleka's smile remained, even as she coughed again. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. And I know that you're not gonna leave me behind. Coughs and sneezes come and go. Once my body gets adjusted to it, I should be back on the streets and ready to go. And I'll be coming straight back to you once I'm clean."

"R-really?" Rose's eyes lit up.

"Of course, girl. You think I'd leave my bestie all alone after I've battled an all-consuming virus and came out a survivor?" Juleka clenched her hand into a fist. "If anything, you're the one thing that keeps me going throughout this whole thing. Luka and mom are doing their best to nurse me back to good health, but Rose, it's your smile that's making me feel like I'm on top of the world right now." One more cough came out of Juleka's mouth.

Rose worried more and more with each cough Juleka made; even more so now that she had stated that she was the sole reason Juleka kept on smiling. She knew that she had to do something, but she didn't know what to do. Eventually, an idea came to mind. It wasn't the most comprehensive and deeply intricate plans that Rose had come up with, but it was an idea all the same. Rose exited out of the application, which minimized the screen Juleka was viewing her from to a tiny degree. Rose then went to her tablet's photo album and started bunching up pictures of unicorns, kitties, and other cute things that Rose had been taking pictures of and saving onto her phone. Then, at last, she sent all of them in a single group to Juleka, promptly returning Juleka's facecam to the full screen view again.

Juleka's tablet got the notification and Juleka immediately lifted a brow to it. "Huh? What's this, Rose?" Juleka asked as she tapped on the screen and viewed the objects that Rose had sent her. Though Rose couldn't see them herself, that didn't matter. At least, not to her. "Rose? Are these—"

"Yep! Whenever I feel down in the dumps, all this kind of stuff always manages to cheer me up!" Rose explained as she pressed her back against the headboard of her bed.

"Huh." Juleka began browsing through the pictures that Rose had sent her. Sure enough, there were many a deal of unicorn, kitty, and sweet things that Rose had sent her. None of which had been on her mind, but all of them eye-catching enough to warrant her attention. At least, for the time being. And it wasn't like she had anything else to do in her current state. "Well, thanks, girl. These things are already making me think of you."

"Oh, those are just the first few bunches I wanted to send to you." Rose went back to it, finding more and more pictures for her to send to Juleka in an attempt to keep her spirits up. She wasn't even fazed by the next cough that came out of Juleka's mouth. "There's also my heavy-duty collection, my 'pretty in pink' collection, the rainy day set, Kitty Cuddle Cuteness Slideshow, the stuff that could totally work for Kitty Section, Superstar Twinkle Squadron of Unicorns, King of the Cyu—Whoa-ho-hoa! Okay, maybe not that one. That could be a little bit more extreme. I'm not trying to cute you to death or anything, Juleka."

Juleka ended up laughing. It was a laugh that was boisterous and hearty at all of the stuff that Rose was doing for her. Even as that laugh degraded into another cough, Juleka still kept on laughing at it all. "Rose, it's fine, girl. It's totally fine. No need to overwhelm me with all that stuff. You're making me smile just the way you are right now." The laughter finally ending, Juleka put her hand on the glass and looked into Rose's eyes and blew her a kiss. "I'll see you soon, Doc Rose."

Rose chuckled lightly too. "See you soon, Juleka." Rose blew her a kiss back and stared back into Juleka's eyes. Even though the two of them were worlds apart, they were still showing that their bonds would be able to outlast any kind of storm; even a world-shaking, community-shattering, friend-separating pandemic like this one. 


	11. Day 11: Serenade

Juleka hadn't really sung much, but for Rose, she was willing to make an exception. She had been writing up this song entirely for her, with a little help from the impromptu jam sessions she had been having with her brother, Luka. She knew that when it came to Rose, only the most special kind of song would do. Something that told Rose who Juleka was and how much she loved her. Juleka had been getting a feel for the music and trying to wrap lyrics around the way that she sung, hoping that Rose would fall in love with the song that she had wrote.

She didn't have much time to think about it today, as Rose was coming over to the houseboat for a visit. Juleka could only strum away and then take brief moments to think about how the rest of the song would match the way she played. With maybe some occasional help from Luka from time to time. Juleka knew that she couldn't afford to make a bad first impression towards Rose when it came to music; especially since she was part of her band; Kitty Section. It would look pretty damning if one of the band's two guitarists couldn't hold their own as a solo act as well.

Juleka took some time out of her room and poked her head out of the door of her houseboat. Sure enough, she could smell the fresh air of Paris interlocked with the slightly tangy smell of the Seine. Luka was still leaning back idyllically, playing away on his guitar as he wiled away the hours. The clouds above Juleka were puffy and still, and the blue sky above looked peaceful and inviting. And then, Juleka saw her. There, standing on the pier at the edge of the earth was Rose. Once Rose saw Juleka, she waved at her, and Juleka could only blush and wave back sheepishly.

"Y-you're here early, Rose." Juleka was the first one to speak between the two of them.

"Well, I figured I might as well surprise you, Juleka," Rose explained as she walked over the pier and onto Juleka's houseboat. The ship suddenly had a little bit of a shake and Rose lost her balance. "Wh-whoa!" She exclaimed as she fell straight into Juleka's chest, which prompted Juleka to catch her and help her stand back up. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Rose," Juleka said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, ushering her into the houseboat's rooms. They went past the living room and kitchen and went straight for the bedrooms. Juleka sat herself down on her bed and noticed that her guitar was still sitting there. Of course. Her song. She had been so busy trying to brainstorm ideas that she forgot to put it away. And now Rose knew about it. She could only hope that she could make something convincing so that Rose wouldn't know she was trying to make a song for her.

"What's with the guitar, Juleka?" Rose pointed it out straight away, much to Juleka's dismay. "We're not practising songs today, y'know. Ivan's busy with Myléne right now and Marinette's got a full day planned with Alya, Manon, and Adrien. What's up?"

"O-oh, that?" Juleka jumped in surprise and feigned her shock at the fact that her guitar was out and about when it should have been away. She already started to fumble around with lies in her head; each one sounding more far-fetched than the last. As Juleka stuttered, stumbled, and tripped over her own words, Rose's puppy-dog eyes were piercing into her soul. They were the kind of eyes that you just could not lie to; no matter how hard you tried. Juleka finally sighed and placed a hand on Rose's shoulders. "Well, the truth is, Rose, I've actually been writing a song. Not a song for Kitty Section. A song for you."

"A song for... me?" Rose pointed towards her and tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"It's not exactly finished yet, but I was making good progress today." Juleka took the guitar and wore the strap around her neck. Then, she placed her fingers on the strings and held it ready. "Y'know what, since you're already here, why don't you get a listen to it, Rose. See what you can make out of it." And with those words, Juleka started to play. Much like her brother, Juleka's plucks of her strings were smooth, subtle, soft, and understated. A peaceful vibe for a peaceful person who wrote a peaceful song for her best friend.

_Stars high in the night sky above_

_Each one crafted with love_

_But no matter how high the stars might be_

_There's only one star down here I can see_

_Her hair is a radiant gold_

_A true beauty to behold_

_Unicorn glitter for her's never rare_

_Into her eyes, I can't help but stare..._

Rose heard as Juleka came to the chorus. Juleka had really thought about this and about her. Every single note that was plucked and every word that came out of Juleka's mouth was like gold for Rose's ears. She smiled as she listened to Juleka go on and on, playing the notes of her guitar over and over on the chorus, trying to get a better feel for how the rest of the song would progress. Once she stopped, Rose couldn't help but clap her hands. It was the clap where she put the balls of her wrists together and slapped the rest of her hands together; making it sound like a golf clap.

"Oh, Juleka..." Rose finally spoke once Juleka laid down the guitar.

"I know, I know. Only a starting verse ain't gonna be enough to convey how much I love you," Juleka muttered to herself as she already thought about making some more lyrics for the chorus and for the next verse. Then, Juleka felt Rose's hands wrap around her body, squeezing her tight. It wasn't until Juleka saw Rose that she figured out it was a hug.

"No, Juleka. I love it already. I think you're gonna make something wonderful out of it." Rose cooed as she nuzzled Juleka's neck tightly and sank into her girlfriend's embrace. "Keep it up, girl."

Juleka could hardly fathom Rose's hug. The song was incomplete. She could still make more out of what she had been working on, yet Rose was already showing her affection for it. Juleka couldn't explain it, not to herself or to anyone else. But knowing Rose, she didn't need to explain much. It was no secret to her how much she loved Rose and how much Rose loved her. These hugs were just another sign of the two's love towards each other and how much the two wanted to be a part of each other's lives. Every time Juleka felt one of Rose's hugs, she felt like she didn't need anything else more in life. Still, she wished she could have given her a full and complete song, but she wouldn't turn down a hug from the light of her life; the girl of her dreams.

"Th-thanks, Rose." Juleka finally mustered up the courage to speak as she hugged Rose back. "I promise, we'll make this song the best song there ever was."

"We'll?" Rose lifted a brow by those words. "Do you mean..."

"Yes, Rose. I want you to help me finish this song," said Juleka, looking back over at the guitar. "I've already made a start, but I can't quite figure out what other words to go next. And since you're Kitty Section's lead lyricist, I figured that you'd have a few rhymes to share."

"Oh, of course, I'll help, Juleka," Rose said as she ended the hug and reached over for Juleka's guitar, slipping it back over Juleka's body, resting it on her hands. "Just start playing for me again and I'll see what I can do."

Juleka resumed the song from where she had left off, hoping that Rose would be able to figure out some words for her. But as she played and closed her eyes, Juleka failed to see Rose swaying her body to the rhythm of Juleka's song while humming a melody to herself that she warped to fit Juleka's music. It wasn't hard at all for Rose to keep in time with Juleka's playing; mostly because she played slow to begin with. It wasn't like one of Kitty Section's fast-paced songs. Here, Rose could get a much stronger feel for the tune, timing, and lyrics, rather than having to make it all up from scratch and use her imagination to fill in the blanks. Most of the time, she had forgotten to even think about lyrics. She was losing herself more and more in Juleka's playing with each passing second. Since Juleka had made her fall in love with the song pre-emptively, it was only natural that she would want to keep on listening to her playing. Even if she couldn't help Juleka out with the words, she was helping her out in another way: By serving as her audience of one; the audience that Juleka strived for; the audience that Juleka loved.


	12. Day 12: I Made Dinner, But...

Rose needed to do something for Juleka, for all the stuff that she had done for her in the past. So, she had decided to make some dinner for Rose and her family. Rose had been cooking not just for Juleka, but also for Luka and for both of the Couffaines' mother as well. She had been chopping up vegetables, placing said vegetables in a hot pan and stirring in some sauces. It was Rose's first time making something of this complexity, but she had to make sure that it was perfect; or at the very least, acceptable for Juleka and her family. The last thing she wanted is to be responsible for poisoning them.

"Oh, now was it Celsius or Fahrenheit?" Rose asked herself as she fiddled with the knobs on the grill. She spent that quick moment to look back at the recipe that she had been eyeing up. This was the stir-fry for Juleka; the piece de resistance of her spread for the family. "Oh, it was Celsius. Okie-dokie. We can do that." She looked at the knobs and saw that it only went up in Celsius. "Oh. That's the problem..." Rose went for her phone and started to type out the conversion of Celsius to Fahrenheit on her phone.

And then, it happened. In the middle of Rose's adventure to find out what turning 180 Celsius into Fahrenheit looked like, she ended up burning the vegetables in the sitr-fry. She let out a panicked yelp and hastily turned down the knob. Sure enough, the fires died down, but by that point, the damage had already been done. The vegetables had been charred by the fires. It was a miracle that they hadn't been cooked golden brown. Rose cursed herself and made a mental note to use less cooking oil the next time she made something like this.

"Okay, okay, okay. We can fix this..." Rose pushed the air and hyperventilated over the fact that she had damaged Juleka's vegetables. "Just a little bit of seasoning, that's all. And we can simmer on low heat. That's also probably good if I've roasted them like that." Rose hurriedly gathered some salt and sprinkled a tiny dose of it into the stir-fry, then added some sauce and stirred the gloopy, bubbling mass of food with a wooden spoon. No sooner had she finished when she had noticed something else. The casserole that she had slaved over for Juleka's mother hadn't come out of the oven yet. It had been in there for a while and Rose still had yet to get it out. Once she did, Rose let out another yelp of panic at the sight of what the casserole had become. Black, charred, and with chunky bits sticking to the top of the recipe.

"Oh... This is not good." Rose despaired as she looked at the mess she had made of the casserole. She slipped on a pair of gloves, bent down, and picked the mess of a meal she had made up, laying it down on the breakfast bar by the kitchen; the smell already wafting out of the room. Rose didn't want anyone to try and smell the disaster she had made, so she tried to fan the fumes away, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop it. "Okay, y'know what? That's fine. That's **completely fine.** I'm not a disaster chef. I'm not. I am Rose Lavillant. I am stronger than this." She adamantly told herself and returned to the instruments of her cooking torture and went back to Juleka's stir-fry. If she had already botched up the casserole for the mother, then she didn't want to do the same for Juleka and Luka's food.

Just then, the microwave buzzed and Rose gave the stir-fry another stir before going to free Luka's dish from its' box-shaped prison. Rose opened the microwave door and retrieved what looked like a plate of lasagna; leftovers that Luka had forgotten to finish. At least she couldn't have possibly made a mistake of that. Letting out a sigh of relief, she placed Luka's microwaved lasagna next to their mother's charred casserole. Okay, so maybe Rose wasn't as smart as she thought she was. At least that meant she could focus entirely on Juleka's dish last.

Just as she was putting the finishing touches on Juleka's stir-fry, the girl of the hour herself entered the room with a wave and the words, "Hey, Rose? How's it going?" These very words that fell from Juleka's mouth caused Rose to jump in surprise and nearly drop the pan she had been working with.

"U-u-uh, it's fine, Juleka!" Rose snapped her body around and waved rapidly, putting out a weak, forced chuckle as she locked eyes with Juleka.

"How's it coming?" Juleka asked, glancing over the food, only for Rose to swoop into action and block the food with her body.

"I-I-It's all coming along nicely, Juleka. No need to look or anything, am I right?" Rose had to lean left when Juleka looked left and right when she looked right. The whole thing was like something out of a vaudeville sketch with how much it looked like a slapstick routine. "Look, long story short, food is coming. I can promise you that here and now."

"Well, uh, okay then." Juleka shrugged and went to get Luka and her mother. "If you need any help, you just let me know, okay? There's nothing wrong with a bit of help from a friend you know."

"Yeah, uh, I'll be sure to bring you up on that!" Rose called as Juleka left the room. She then groaned and facepalmed. Help. What was she thinking? She wanted to stand out on her own as a chef for Juleka's family. How in any conceivable frame of mind would she be able to do that if she had Juleka do all of the work for her? No. Rose needed to do this. She needed to prove herself to the Couffaine family line. She couldn't afford to make a bad impression on her cooking.

* * *

At long last, the dinner finally came about, and Rose watched as each of the respective Couffaine family members took their food. First, she watched as Luka took the lasagna she had microwaved for him. She didn't focus on it, but she saw that Luka was flashing her a soft smile over the food. Then, she watched Luka and Juleka's mother collecting the casserole; noticing the colour. The chunky bits had been disposed of so that she wouldn't notice. All that she could do was give Rose a smile as she took the casserole, placed it on a plate, then put that plate on the table. Then, at last, Juleka took the stir-fry that Rose had made for her. Rose let out a small gulp as Juleka took the stir-fry and made her way to the table.

"So, uh, okay, everyone. I made dinner, but... let's just say that there were a few hiccups along the way." Rose spoke as she went to the table and held her hands together. She then started to sweat and waved her arms outward. "N-n-not that there's any majorly bad mistakes. Just some little bumps and bruises along the way. Nothing too bad, right? A-a-anyways, I hope you enjoy the food and that I did a good job."

"Well, at the very least, you tried, right?" Juleka's mother was the first to comment as she turned her gaze to the food that Rose had made for her. "It doesn't look half-bad, Rose."

"Yeah. Even though all I wanted was leftovers, you look like you've handled this with care, girl," Luka commented on his own food. He hadn't even raised the fork yet.

"No matter what happens, Rose, you can say that you're proud of the food that you made for us." Juleka turned to Rose and laid an arm on her shoulders. Rose couldn't help but smile more confidently as Juleka comforted her. "Now, let's see what exactly you've done for us."

As Rose watched the Couffaine family eating, she couldn't help but feel a little bit worried about the mistakes she had made. Sooner or later, she was convinced that one of them would comment. Either Luka would talk about how the lasagna was bland, the mother would talk about how burnt and ashy the casserole tasted, or Juleka would mention some mistake that had been made with her stir-fry. But much to Rose's surprise, not a single comment came. At least, not straight away. All she could do was watch and wait for her fate.

"Rose? Did you do something with the food? This tastes much more interesting than usual."

"Oh, I knew that it wouldn't last..." Rose told herself. "Well, Juleka, when I was cooking, I must've gotten a bit too overworked and I might have accidentally ignited the vegetables. I managed to recover from that, but I still had a long way to go from there."

"Stop worrying, girl. This is great." Juleka's eyes glistened as she grinned from ear to ear. "Honestly, you shouldn't have worried about it, girl. This is some good food you made."

"Wait, really?" Rose's eyes went wide at Juleka's sudden comment on the food.

"Yeah, girl. You made something nice here, you tried your best, so what if you made the mistakes?" Luka said as he took another bite out of the lasagna.

"There's an old saying, Rose. The ends justify the means. Meaning that no matter what happened, the result is all that matters. Who cares what path you took to get there or what kind of mistakes you made?" Juleka and Luka's mother dispensed some wise advise as she took another bite out of the burnt casserole; not that she minded it. "I think you'll be more than welcome cooking here again, wouldn't you agree kids?"

"Absolutely." Luka nodded.

"Same here." Juleka flashed Rose a smile.

Rose only made a sheepish grin and watched as the family continued to wolf down the fruits of her labour. Rose had dodged a bullet there, she thought. This time, the Couffaine family loved her food. To see them eating was a huge weight off of her shoulders. And what's more, she kept Juleka happy. Rose watched Juleka eating away at the stir-fry that Rose had lovingly made for her, content in the fact that she was enjoying the food that had been made for her and nothing else. Maybe some day, Juleka would be cooking for Rose and her family. She could only hope that meal went just as well as this one did.


	13. Day 13: Super Penguino

Rose and Juleka gave each other a steely stare as they held their little game controllers in their hand. The two of them were focused on each other; ready to spring into action should one of them stutter or stumble. For this was one of the most gruelling sports the two of them had ever come to known. Much more physically demanding than Alix's obsession with roller derby and more mentally taxing than a study session with Max and Markov. This was unmitigated pandemonium. This was a war sport of the highest honour. This. Was. Super. Penguino.

"This time..." Rose broke the silence between them; keeping up her ferocious stare. "This time, I'm going to win, Juleka."

"You'd like to believe that, wouldn't you?" Juleka's stare remained iron-clad as she tried to pierce Rose's soul; despite the fact that she wasn't making any progress.

"Why don't we let actions speak louder than words?" Rose pounded her chest with her splayed, open hand. "C'mon, then. Let's do this, Juleka."

"Fine by me." Juleka snapped back, then snapped her head to the direction of the TV screen, as did Rose.

The two of them hit the button on their controllers and the menu that they were on changed. After a few seconds, the black screen was replaced with a bright, vibrant, and colourful world; one that was getting a fly-by view, so as to show them which way to go. Then, it showed a splitscreen; with Rose's penguin on the left and Juleka's penguin on the right, along with a clock and mini-map in the middle, and scores on the corners of the screen. Rose and Juleka's grips on the controllers tightened as gigantic words saying. "Ready?", then "Set...", and finally, "GO!" Appeared on the screen, one after the other; fading out after it had come and gone with a sound effect.

Once "GO!" appeared, Rose and Juleka rammed their controller's analog sticks forward, mashing the buttons all the way. Their penguins sped off down the icy course; racing their little hearts out. Both Juleka and Rose ended up shouting out words of encouragement to their penguin avatars; despite the fact that they controlled every single action that they did. Rose took the lead early on in the race, but only by a few inches. Then came the zigzag portion of the icy course and that was when Juleka gave a smirk.

"Think you're getting past this?" Juleka said as she pulled back on the analog stick, causing her penguin to slow down. She watched as Rose grinned, thinking that Juleka was giving up. But as they came to the first turn in the icy zigzag, Juleka's penguin was able to traverse it fairly easily while Rose's penguin attacked it with such momentum that it flung itself up and out of the course, falling down into the infinite horizon for a few seconds before respawning just outside the icy zigzag.

"No! Now Juleka's got the lead!" Rose cursed to herself and started moving her penguin forward again. She couldn't afford to lose the race. Not this time, at least. Juleka had already established herself as a dominant force when it came to Super Penguino, and Rose needed to make sure that she could stand up to her.

Juleka comfortably cruised her way out of the icy zigzag obstacle course, briefly glancing over at Rose's screen. Juleka watched as Rose tried to be slow and gentle on her way through the icy obstacle, eventually managing to emerge just as Juleka slid her way up a large slope and then down an equally steep slope, collecting a lot of momentum; so much so that Juleka's side of the split-screen gained contrails as Juleka's penguin went so fast that it blurred the sides of Juleka's penguin's world.

"Another win in the bag, Rose." Juleka confidently boasted as she watched Rose's penguin just start to climb the hill.

"You think so, but I'm coming for ya!" Rose snorted and scrunched up her face. As she hurtled her penguin down the hill and gained insane momentum, she let out a ferocious war scream as she catapulted herself down the way, approaching the next obstacle at high speeds.

Both Juleka and Rose's penguins now found themselves in a half-pipe, with gargantuan snowballs swirling up and down on said pipes. With how fast their penguins were going and how their speed and momentum from the slide was being maintained, it became a challenge for both of them to make precise dips and weaves through the snowballs. It got both Juleka and Rose onto their feet, making noises as they tried to control their penguins, mashing their buttons, pushing the analog sticks fast in multiple directions to try and manoeuvre across, and many other actions aside.

"C'mon! Give me some more speed!" Rose complained as she watched Juleka sweep her way through the snowballs, while she narrowly evaded getting crushed by them.

"Yes... that's it. C'mon now, Geraldine. Give Juleka some love!" Juleka muttered quietly as she made it out of the snowballs and came to a new obstacle on the penguin assault course; a large patch of water. She dove straight in and started to swim forward, all the while she was having to swim out of the way of the tentacles being jabbed at her by the squids from below.

Both girls had been devolved down to spewing out random gibberish as they tried to manipulate their penguins and will them to the end of the course. As Rose got into the water, Juleka found herself being barraged by tentacle strikes. Rose saw an opportunity to close the gap and she took it, with Juleka now mere inches behind her penguin on speed. Both penguins made it out of the water at the exact same time and both Juleka and Rose started pounding their buttons over and over again that it looked like they had the intention of breaking them.

"THIS. IS. WAR. JULEKA! AND I'M COMING OUT ON TOP!" Rose barked as her penguin came speeding through a cave; one that was dropping icicles down as she dashed ahead. Rose's voice got so gravelly and low with how much she was getting into it that she could have qualified as a screamo singer.

"Don't think so, sister! You wanna win this war? You gotta get through me!" Juleka played along with Rose's warmongering attitude as she went into the cave, evading the falling icicles with the precision of a surgeon. Left, right, left, right, through the middle, right, right, left. She had done this all before, and she knew exactly where the icicles were gonna fall and how they would impede her progress. Sure enough, Juleka watched as Rose's penguin collided with the icicles on her end; causing them to shatter and break the speed that Rose's penguin had got going for it.

"No... NO!" Rose, with nothing left to lose, let out one final triumphant war yell and jammed the analog stick forward, yelling as her penguin darted forward as fast as she could make it. The icicles out of the way at last, Rose's penguin emerged from the tunnel first. And as it did, the finish line showed up for both girls. Juleka was fast, but Rose was starting to show that she was faster. Rose's line got closer and closer, but so too did Juleka's. She closed her eyes and started to breathe heavily to herself as she continued mashing the button to push her penguin forward. Finally, with the last few taps, Rose's penguin made it over the line a few milliseconds ahead of Juleka's and she was declared the winner by the game.

"Haha! Got it!" Rose triumphantly stood up and punched the air in an uppercut motion. "My dear Evelyn! Crossing the line in style! Booyah!"

"Well played, Rose." Juleka sat back down and gave Rose a handshake. "Thought for sure that Geraldine was gonna beat you that time."

"Y-yeah..." Rose accepted the handshake; finally recovering from the adrenaline rush that playing Super Penguino had given her. "You weren't half bad yourself, Juleka. You ran away with the game for most of it."

"Yeah, but you got the hang of it near the end. Meanwhile, I got caught up by the squids." Juleka explained. "I don't blame myself, because those things can be a nightmare on this particular course. I just made some stupid mistakes and it costed me."

"You didn't make any mistakes, Juleka. You just had a bit of an icky run there." Rose tried to comfort Juleka, despite the fact that she had won over her. "Why don't we try out a different course? See if it wasn't just a fluke?"

"You sure you wanna do that?" Juleka asked; a cheeky smile popping up on her face. "This is Super Penguino, y'know. And you know how competitive we get over it."

"Oh, I know how competitive we get, girl. That's why I wanna see you playing your little heart out." Rose got her adrenaline personality back. "It's no fun if we just have one game then call it quits; especially with how hard you wanna fight for it."

"Then let's do it." Juleka set up for the next game and changed the course that both Rose and Juleka were playing on. Previously, they had been racing on what was known by the game as the Shivering Speedway. Now, Juleka had selected for the two of them to have a penguin race on the Arctic Assault track.

Both Juleka and Rose regained their steel stare as they glared at each other. They didn't even bother to look at the bird's-eye-view fly-by of the course. Hands tightly gripped on the controller, both of them finally turned to the screen again. Then, the words came back once again. "Ready? Set. GO!" And at the end of the last word, both girls rammed their analog sticks forward and got mashing away; ready to win the race and show their dominance as a Super Penguino racer. No matter how wild it got for the two of them.


	14. Day 14: Kwami Swap

It felt almost surreal for Rose and Juleka. To think that they would have been drafted by Ladybug and Cat Noir themselves to be superheroes; battling the likes of Hawkmoth's rank and file to save the world from his menace. But now, here they were, rushing along the rooftops of Paris; Miraculouses granted and new suits donned. Juleka, wielding the Tiger Miraculous had come to be known as Tigara. With the Miraculous safely tucked underneath the metallic claw gauntlets, she bore. As for Rose, champion of the Pig Miraculous, she was known as Pygmy and championed a pair of boxing gloves that were fashioned in the shape of a pig's trotters. Rose's Miraculous, an ankle bracelet, had been secured underneath her shoes but was now on show for the world to see, since shoes weren't really covered in the transformative properties of a Miraculous.

Their target was a simple enemy as far as Hawkmoth's gallery of villains went; a man by the name of Swapper; capable of swapping many aspects of things. Where those things stood, what purpose those objects served, including the personalities and characteristics of people. He had already caused his great deal of chaos through the city; forcing people to adapt to someone else's life. The paranoia that he had caused was sure to bring Ladybug and Cat Noir running, and sure enough, it did. His biggest offence was that he had swapped the position of a plane and a train. It had taken a miracle for the team of heroes to save the people on the train that fell from the sky, but they still had to deal with a rampant supervillain.

"Talk about a crash course for your first day, huh?" Cat Noir joked as he watched the people on the felled train get off and flee to the streets.

"Y-yeah. For being a superhero, it's not easy." Tigara commented as she looked around for Swapper. She searched high, low, and down the streets with the fleeing people, but there was no sign of him.

"I don't know how the two of you manage it every day. Having to switch between your real and having to do all of this superhero stuff whenever Hawkmoth rears his ugly head." Pygmy tightened her fists, as if ready for a fight. "And that's not to mention all the stuff that your civilian selves go through. It's a miracle that you've been so happy-go-lucky both as superheroes and as civilians."

"After a while, you learn how to balance it out, Pygmy." Ladybug dispensed her ever-sage advice. "The one thing with Hawkmoth is that he wants you to feel miserable and worthless. That's how he gets into your head. So, that's why I always try to see the brighter side of life. No matter how bad it might seem."

"I get by in other ways. First of all, I always laugh at how ridiculous his butterflies are." Cat Noir put his bo staff behind his shoulders and gave a cocky smile. "For being the biggest, baddest supervillain known to man, all the world needs to do is make a new butterfly sanctuary and he'll have nothing to use as an Akuma."

The three superhero girls couldn't help but crack a small smile at Cat Noir's anecdote. Even Ladybug couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape her lips as she imagined the idea of Hawkmoth's Akumas getting stuck at a butterfly sanctuary.

"Y'know, if I didn't have to give back the Miraculous after this gig's up, I think I'd be a pretty good superhero." Pygmy put her hands on her hips. "Standing by you and Cat Noir's side, punching the living daylights out of all of Hawkmoth's supervillains, using superpowers to make daring rescues; and looking pretty in pink all the while."

"Oh, I'm sure that you'll get the Miraculouses back someday. Even Ladybug's not that stubborn with how she hands them out." Cat Noir turned towards the sound of an explosion, and the distant screams that followed. "But that's for another time. C'mon, Bugaboo. Let's put a stop to this swapping madness!" And with that, he vaulted off and raced to the scene of the disaster.

"You know what to do, you two." Ladybug gave them a nod, then promptly swung off with her yo-yo to the action, with Pygmy and Tigara bringing up the rear.

Tigara and Pygmy raced side by side, giving each other a smile as they sprinted along the rooftops, leaping whenever they reached an edge. To do all of this parkour stuff with newfound strength, speed, and agility, it was one of the more fun things that they had ever done in their lives. However, as they looked into each other's eyes, Tigara and Pygmy swore that there was something about the other that seemed eerily familiar. As if they knew who this new superhero partner of theirs was deep down; despite the fact that this was the first time they had met like this. The two of them had to make a mental note in their minds to meet sometime when they had the Miraculouses but weren't obedient to the rules that Ladybug had set for them both.

At last, the four heroes arrived at Swapper. And already, his powers were on full display. His suit was blue and pink and shifted colours whenever he threw his arms across each other, in a swapping fashion. When he did the motions, two people on the ground had everything flipped. A man became a woman and a woman became a man, with new form-fitting clothes and colours to suit them. Satisfied with his work, Swapper took aim at two new targets; a little boy and his rubber ball. With a swapping motion, the boy was turned into the ball, and the ball into a human.

"Ah, Ladybug, Cat Noir, and your little rag-tag team of friends." Swapper declared as he locked gazes with the superhero squad. "Didn't you get the message the last time? You can't stop the swap. No matter how hard you try, I'll just keep on flipping, letting people walk a mile in the other's shoes!"

"Well, y'know what they say about flipping. There's only two sides to the same coin." Cat Noir joked. "No matter how ya flip 'em, ya can't do much to 'em otherwise."

"Oh, is that so?" Swapper lifted a brow and leaned forward towards the heroes. "But you don't understand that I can always keep on flipping. I can just keep tossing the coin over and over again, no matter which side they like better." And with that, he raised his arms out at Ladybug at Cat Noir and made claws out of his hand. He put his hands out by the side and threw them across his chest. Just as he performed his swapping powers, Ladybug and Cat Noir jumped out of the way.

But as Ladybug and Cat Noir evaded his attack, Swapper's powers instead affected Tigara and Pygmy. With a singular motion, both girls found themselves caught up in a magical aura which caused them to fall to their knees. Their palms were firmly planted onto the ground as light and magic wrapped around them. With a crossing-over motion, the Miraculouses Rose and Juleka were wearing transitioned over to the other's body. Rose magically obtained Juleka's Tiger Miraculous, and Juleka was given Rose's Pig Miraculous. And with their swap complete, the light fell, and now Rose had Juleka's claws, and Juleka had Rose's pig-shaped trotter boxing gloves.

"Wh-what is this?" Juleka panicked at her new attire. She stood up and looked to the left, and saw that her partner had been magically changed to wear the Tiger Miraculous's outfit. "What are you wearing? In fact, who are you?"

"Who are you?!" Rose looked similarly shocked at what Tigara had transformed into. "Why are you wearing my Miraculous and clothes?"

"Hey, hey. It's alright. Swapper just flipped your Miraculouses around." Ladybug swooped into the scene and wrapped her arms around both girls' shoulders. "It's fine. Just learn to adapt and you should be able to get back in the game."

"Learn to adapt? But we hardly even know each other!" Rose barked, raising the claws on her arms. "Besides, you said that we're not allowed to drop each other's secret identities!"

"Who said your identities were secret?" Ladybug remained vague and ambiguous to keep the girls guessing. "Something tells me that _you already know who you are_. You just need to believe in the other. That's how my other friends came through as heroes."

"Who cares who you are? Just so long as I get those Miraculouses off of your hands and swap you back to your human selves, it doesn't matter who you are!" Swapper leapt into the air and thrust his hands left, right, and centre. This forced all four superhero teens to roll out of the way. In doing so, Swapper was only able to swap grassy chunks and sidewalk tiles around.

Rose and Juleka looked into each other's masked eyes. Sure, Rose was now donning the Tiger and Juleka was still wearing the Pig, but they knew who they were, and they knew what they had to do. No matter the circumstances, they needed to help Ladybug out; to stop Hawkmoth from taking Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses. With bravery welling up inside of them, Rose rushed forward first, making a valiant leap with her claws stretched outward. She drove her claws into the ground and sliced away at Swapper, who was having to sidestep and dodge out of the way of each of Rose's strikes.

Juleka took that moment to show some bravery of her own. She took to the street lamps and waited as Rose pushed back Swapper, leapt over one of his retaliation attacks, and let Ladybug and Cat Noir into the battle as she substituted herself out. As Ladybug and Cat Noir forced Swapper backwards, Juleka took that moment to swing into action and deliver a violent left hook just as Swapper was turned around. The punch was so powerful that it sent Swapper flying into the park. He let out a pained yell as he flew threw the air and met the grassy mass.

"C'mon, everyone. Let's put a stop to this swapping madness." Ladybug looked down at Swapper as he got back onto his feet. "Lucky Charm!" Ladybug decreed as she hurled her yo-yo skyward for her item of the day. Once it came down, the item landed in her hands. "Wh-what? A scarf? How is that gonna stop a supervillain?"

"Well, it's not the weirdest Lucky Charm you've ever had, m'lady. I'm sure that you'll be able to figure something out." Cat Noir made a pole vault towards Swapper. "Cataclysm!" He called, readying his claws for what seemed like the finishing blow.

"Think that'll work?" Swapper barked, and performed another swapping motion with his hands. In the blink of an eye, Cat Noir and Ladybug were swapped into being Mister Bug and Lady Noir, and Mister Bug's hand touch did nothing. "You see now? I can swap anyone at any time! Including you!" He delivered a roundhouse kick to Mister Bug, knocking him straight into Lady Noir.

"Hey! That's uncalled for!" Rose rushed forward with her claws again, forcing Swapper to dodge and sidestep out of the way again. "Hold still!"

"Yeah! First you swap us, then you swap Ladybug and Cat Noir! Is there nothing you won't stoop to?" Juleka demanded as she punched, jabbed, hooked, uppercutted, and performed various other boxing-style punches as she tried to deliver a blow to Swapper.

"No. There isn't." Swapper jumped out of the way as Rose and Juleka made an attack, causing both of their attacks to strike each other. "Now, if you don't mind, Hawkmoth's told me to deliver Miraculouses, and Miraculouses is what he's going to get!" He snarled as he stood over Mister Bug and Lady Noir. He made a lunging jump at both teenagers. But before he could make a single strike, Lady Noir flipped back onto her feet and swatted him into the wall with her newly-acquired bo staff. "Wh-what?!"

"Sorry, but I don't think you heard. This isn't the first time we've had to do this kind of stuff." Lady Noir taunted as she held the staff out. "We've already known what it's like to walk in the other's shoes."

"Right. So I think it's time that you just give it up before we crack open whatever's hiding your Akuma." Mister Bug stood stoically before Swapper.

"Nngh..." Swapper snarled as a neon butterfly insignia showed up above his face; the sign that Hawkmoth was talking in his head.

"Swapper! Don't just accept defeat like that!" Hawkmoth spoke through his mind. "They might have backed you into a corner, but that's when you're at your most dangerous. Swap them so hard that they won't be able to catch their breath!"

"Right." Swapper gave a nod as the sigil vanished from his face. "I'm not about to lose here. Not to you! Try this on for size!" Swapper leapt from the wall and made various different poses and gestures with his hands. After which, he landed before all four heroes and darted forward, hands and feet striking. Lady Noir evaded a strike, prompting him to go for Mister Bug, who was already grazing his arms and legs with Swapper's. Once Swapper couldn't get any ground on Mister Bug, he turned his focus to Rose and Juleka's hero selves, who both darted with their claws and boxing gloves.

"I've still got the scarf..." Mister Bug took a brief moment in the fight to notice the black scarf with black polka dots. It seemed that he had inherited the Lucky Charm Ladybug had used. He then heard a beeping noise and noticed that his earrings were starting to lose spots. "Aaaaand, I've still got Ladybug's time. Geez, as if I didn't have enough already."

Lady Noir was still trying to strike down Swapper. During her strikes, she noticed the inky black blobs emanating from her hands; the calling card of Cat Noir's Cataclysm. It seemed that she too had taken his active powers for her own. Seeing that Cataclysm was active, she tried to grab Swapper's gloves, but during her arm thrusts, he made a sweeping motion with his hands and swapped positions with a lamppost just as Lady Noir made the strike. The lamppost was reduced to dust, and Swapper surged forward towards the heroes.

"Wait. If they've got the other's superpowers, then that means we've got ours too!" Rose's eyes widened. "Tigara! Or whoever you are, do you know what words trigger your superpowers?"

"Yeah! I do!" Juleka called back to Rose. "Just say the words 'Hunter's Eye' and you can see what Swapper's about to do before he does it!"

"Thanks!" Rose backflipped out of the way and said "Hunter's Eye!" Invoking the power of the Tiger Miraculous. Her body glowed a powerful shade of Magenta and she saw a ghostly projection of Swapper move towards her. As the projection moved, the actual body moved a few seconds later. But now, Rose knew exactly what way he was coming from and how he would strike, and dodged accordingly, eventually dealing a powerful strike to his back with the claws that knocked him to the ground. "In the meantime, all you need to do is say 'Abundance' and you can make copies of whatever you touch!"

"Right. But what should I do..." Juleka looked around to see what she could use to create a clone of. Eventually, as Lady Noir rejoined the scene and Mister Bug raced in, she noticed the scarf wrapped around his left fist. An idea flashed in her head and Juleka darted for Mister Bug's scarf. "Abundance!" She cried as she planted her hand on Mister Bug's scarf, creating perfect replicas of it; ones that she handed to Lady Noir, Rose, and finally herself.

"More scarves? Well, that makes things interesting..." Mister Bug commented on the duplicated Lucky Charm that now rested in the hands of all four superheroes.

"I've got one last little trick up my sleeves." Swapper lowered his brows and glared at all four of the superhero teens. He made the motion of turning a wheel with his hands and this time, his swapping powers were enough to swap all four superheroes at once. Now, Marinette was donning the Tiger Miraculous, Cat Noir was draped in the Pig Miraculous, Juleka had the Ladybug Miraculous, and Rose was draped in the Black Cat Miraculous. "Hah! Good luck trying to get out of this one, kiddies!" He took his chance to rush forward with a fist just as the team was looking down at themselves again.

As he did, though, Juleka, the new Ladybug, wrapped the scarf around his arm and swung herself underneath his legs, which forced Swapper to fall onto his face. She shared a passing glance with Rose, who was wearing Cat Noir's outfit, who wrapped her scarf around his other hand. Both girls restraining Swapper, they pulled him back to his feet and glared him in the eyes.

"Look, buddy, I don't think you know who we are." Juleka barked as she pulled her scarf tightly.

"We are Ladybug and Cat Noir's newest superheroes. And if you're working with Hawkmoth, then that just makes your job a lot harder!" Rose gave a solid yank and delivered a backflip kick that knocked Swapper down. As he fell to his knees, Rose looked back at Marinette and Adrien's newest superhero selves; ones who took the scarves that had been given to them and lassoed Swapper by the ankles.

"Wow. You always pick heroes with spunk like this, m'lady?" Adrien—still clad in the Pig Miraculous's attire asked.

"Not always. Guess they're really getting into the spirit of this..." Marinette watched with bright, wide eyes as she watched Juleka and Rose continue to wail on Swapper, trying to get at his gloves and reveal the Akuma tucked away inside of them. "I'll have to make sure that they get their Miraculouses back someday."

"ENOUGH!" Swapper; humiliated, battered, and beaten down by the heroes made multiple swapping motions with his hands. Now, Rose was Ladybug, Juleka was Cat Noir, Marinette was Pygmy, and Adrien was Tigara. The four superheroes still moved in on him, and he swapped again. And again. And again. And again. And again. But no matter how many times he flipped the superheroes attires and powers around, it wasn't enough, they were still moving in for him, and he had been rendered practically powerless before them. With a final yell, he charged like a rampaging bull and tried to beat them half to death, but the four superheroes just went past him and lassoed him again with the scarves. His arms and legs fully bound by the four Lucky Charm scarves, he was catapulted into the wall again. As soon as he hit the ground, Ladybug and Cat Noir ripped off his gloves and ripped them clean in half; revealing the Akuma that had been tucked away within.

"No more evildoing for you, little Akuma..." Ladybug opened up her yo-yo and swung it around and around, ready for her signature Akuma and Amok-catching moves. "Time to de-evilise!" She called out as loudly as she could, snatching up Swapper's Akuma and purifying it as the two flaps closed up and she caught the yo-yo in the palm of her hands. "Gotcha!" She gave the yo-yo a few moments until at last, she opened it back up, revealing the white butterfly tucked deep down inside. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." Everyone else done, there was only one thing left to do. Except, this time, all four of the superheroes came together with their scarves.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" All four superheroes called out together and tossed their scarves into the sky. They exploded into a cascade of light butterflies that danced around Paris and restored all of the damage. Every single human and object that had been swapped around and everything that had been caught up in the wake of the superheroes' battle with Swapper was being restored. After which, Swapper's supervillain form melted away to reveal the man that had been ensnared inside. "Pound it!" All the heroes fist-pumped together; the sign of a job well done.

"Well, guess that's about it, Ladybug." Tigara said as she put her claws together. A small beeping noise could be heard from her end and she noticed that her Miraculous was ticking down. "I'd better split. Before my Miraculous runs out of juice."

Pygmy heard a similar beeping and looked down at her feet. Her Miraculous was also losing colour; indicating that she would soon change back into her normal form. "I'd better get going as well. I'll see you later to give you back the Miraculous, alright?"

"You do that, you two." Ladybug gave both Pygmy and Tigara a warm and caring smile. "Me and Cat Noir can wrap things up here. I'll come back for you shortly, alright?"

"Sure." Both girls gave a nod and fled the scene. They had done their work and now it was time to get back to normal. As the two of them left together and in the same directions, they looked into each other's eyes. Tigara and Pygmy had a nagging sensation that they really did know who the other one was behind the mask. But for now, all that they could do was smile at their partner for a good day's work and wonder when they would be called on again, if at all.


	15. Day 15: Secret Identity

Tigara and Pygmy both ran as far as they could. Their work done, there was no point in them being around anymore. Ladybug and Cat Noir had called them in for a gig and now that gig was over. They could return to their normal lives; lives without the masks and powers. But before they could, there was something on their mind. Something bothering them; endlessly teasing and nagging at them to no avail. Just who exactly was their mysterious partner. Tigara wanted to know who Pygmy was and Pygmy wanted to know who Tigara was. They were both there, so why didn't they take the chance? It wasn't as if Ladybug would ever know. And besides, they would just be showing their faces and sharing their identities with each other. Nobody else needed to know.

The two of them couldn't wait anymore and looked into each other's eyes. Then, they raced to the ground and towards a manhole together. Tigara opened the panel wide for Pygmy to climb into first, with Tigara close behind. Both of them leaving nothing behind but a singular beeping noise; the trademark of Miraculouses that had expended their superpowers and were starting to drain in colour and energy. Tigara closed the hatch up again, leaving the two of them isolated under the sewers.

"So, who are you, really?" Pygmy was the first one to ask the question as she and Tigara strolled the sewers together. "Ladybug mentioned that we knew each other back there, but I still can't get my head around it. After all, if she knew us, then why would she put us both together? Especially with how she handles the rules of superheroes under her care?"

"Well, clearly, she's made an exception for once." Tigara put her hands by her hips; her claws draped limply down her legs. "I wanna know as much as you do, Pygmy. Like, who are you underneath that mask?" She pointed one of her claws at Pygmy. "How can I be sure that I can trust you; especially when Ladybug made such a bold statement about us?" The beeping noise came back, becoming more and more frequent and rapid. Both for Tigara and for Pygmy.

Pygmy looked down at her anklet and saw that her Miraculous was almost completely drained of both colour and power. "Well, looks like you'll be getting your answer shortly, Tigara. I'm about to change back whether I like it or not."

"Same here..." Tigara looked at the Tiger Miraculous that was beneath her claw gauntlets. It too was almost completely gone for power and colour and was burning out the very last seconds of its' usage. "Well, let's see for ourselves who we really are."

Twin beams of light swept across Tigara and Pygmy, removing their outfits, tools, and most importantly, their masks. As the light swept them like an X-ray and their two Kwamis—Roaar for Tigara and Daizzi for Pygmy—were ejected from the Miraculous into their hands, they both saw the truth. Rose was looking at Juleka and Juleka was looking at Rose. Rose now knew that Juleka was Tigara, and Juleka now knew that Pygmy was Rose. Safely storing their Kwamis away, Juleka and Rose raced towards each other and gave themselves the biggest hug that they could muster.

"Rose!" Juleka squealed as she pressed her body into Rose's chest.

"Juleka!" Rose replied in kind as she nuzzled Juleka's neck tenderly.

"You're a superhero?" They both replied to each other, then blinked and took a step back. "Y-yeah! So are you!" They both kept on saying at the same time as each other. "You were a totally awesome superhero! You too! Ladybug definitely made the right choice! Hey, thanks!" Both girls finally stopped repeating each other's words with a giggle as they both took a step forward together.

"So, you think Ladybug's gonna call on us again someday?" Juleka was the first between the two freshly-revealed superheroines to pop the question. "As in, things'll get too much for her to handle?"

"I dunno about that. She and Cat Noir are pretty much the premiere duo of superhero stuff." Rose shrugged. "But I think after a round like today, she'll keep us in her mind for sure."

"Ya think so?" Juleka blinked, looking into Rose's eyes.

"Think about it. Ladybug only chooses the best of the best; the people who she wants to be Miraculous-bearers because she's found something in them." Rose said as she plucked Daizzi out of her pocket and watched her sleep softly; snoring in a high-pitched tone as her piggy Kwami belly stretched with each snore. "And if Ladybug thinks that we've got something that makes us heroes, she's gotta come and pick us again sometime soon." Rose smiled as she looked over at Juleka.

"Well, if you say so, I'm sure that we'll get that chance again." Juleka took Roaar out; who was also sleeping soundly with his tiger tail wrapped snugly around him. "Aww... he looks so cute when he's sleeping, doesn't he?"

"Your Kwami? Yeah, they're cute, period." Rose looked over at Roaar, then down at Daizzi. The way that they both slept soundly was a sight to behold. "I kinda wanna take a picture of them, but I don't think it'd capture them on film, would they? I think they can only be seen by the naked eye."

"Yeah. Well, I'm sure that we'll see 'em again someday, as long as Ladybug chooses to give us back the Miraculouses." Juleka stared longingly down at the sleeping Roaar in her hands. In her mind, she wanted this kind of thing to last forever, but the way that Ladybug had been giving her champions intermittent control, that wasn't gonna be something that she could just will back into her hands. No. Juleka knew that if she gave the Miraculous back, it would be a while, if at all she would see Roaar again like this. "In any case, ya think we can stay a little while longer? I've got so much more I wanna talk to you about superhero stuff, Rose."

"I do too, Juleka. I wanna know everything about your side of the story. How it felt for you to be Tigara, how you felt when Ladybug chose you to be a superhero, and how good it felt to be delivering the finishing blow to another one of Hawkmoth's failed schemes." Rose stared at Juleka's eyes. From the way she looked now, Miraculous on her hand and Roaar on the other, Rose knew that she and Juleka had changed forever. Though it wasn't sure what exactly had changed, they knew that they were leaving their mark on the world; even if it was a passing thing. At least it didn't seem like a passing thing for the two of them. They knew that they would meet again as Tigara and Pygmy. Something told them both deep down in their hearts that they would be given the Miraculouses once again.

And so, the two of them got started talking. One conversation lead to another, and then another, and another, and another. Soon, the two of them completely forgot about Ladybug and started chatting up a storm about their superhero lives. For the first time in their lives, they both believed that they had been given a sense of purpose; a calling card to their name to distinguish them from the masses that would have otherwise consumed them with obscurity and normality. For a moment, giving the Miraculouses back didn't even seem like a possibility for them; even with Ladybug's law hanging over their heads. So, while they had it, they might as well have taken the time to get to know each other and truly connect in a way that they had never connected before. And though it might have seemed like the only time they would get aq chance like this, Rose and Juleka were living this moment up for as long as it would take; until the both of them decided to hand back the Miraculouses at long last. After all. They were who they were, and for the first time in their lives, everything seemed perfect.


	16. Day 16: Camping Trip

Juleka and Rose were charting new territory with their latest adventure. It had been the first time either of them had been camping without their families. It had also been the first time that they went camping with each other. This was all part of an en masse camping trip with all of College Francois Dupont. Every student from every class, with every teacher keeping them all together and preventing them from wandering off. Even Mr. Damocles, the head of the college was on site, ready for some quality camping with the rest of the faculty.

Night had fallen on the French Alps, at the campsite where Rose, Juleka, and everyone else was situated. The tents were being pitched under the cover of darkness, with Rose holding the lamp up for Juleka to see what she was doing and how she was setting up the tent. It was a job of trust between both Rose and Juleka. Rose needed to keep the light on Juleka, and Juleka needed Rose to keep focused. Both sides didn't matter how hard it was and they opelny appreciated the other's help. They could have very easily just given up and asked the help of the other students in College Francois Dupont for help, but no. The two of them wanted to stick to their guns; if not for the want to stand by themselves, then at least for the comfort and support of their soulmate.

"Okay. Now, if that's there and the back is standing up, then all that should be left is... Aha!" Juleka found a pole by the mouth of the tent and scooped it up. "Hey, Rose? Think you could help me with these last poles?"

"Sure, Juleka." Rose gave a nod and placed the lantern down on the grass. It was still standing and projecting a light at the tent and the two girls. Rose squatted down and scooped up half of the poles, while Juleka took the other half of the poles. "What do we need to do?"

"The back end of the tent's all set up, so now all that we need to do is set up the front. Connect the poles to the frame to keep it from falling down, then use the rest of the poles as anchors to keep the tent secure." Juleka explained, pointing out each of the steps that Rose needed to follow with her. "Ya think you can do that?"

"Mmhmm." Rose gave a nod, and without a second to waste, both girls were hard at work.

Setting up a tent in the middle of the night was no easy task for Rose and Juleka. Often at times they would lose their poles in the darkness and have to grab the lantern in order to find it again. Other times they would have improperly secured the poles and caused the whole tent to fall like a sack of potatoes in a mangled up mess. And other times they would hear noises in the trees nearby and hold each other tightly; thinking that the campsite was haunted and that they would have been killed by a psychotic axe-wielding murderer who had been drowned in the lake through otherworldly and negligent causes. But Rose and Juleka knew better. There weren't any killers in France. At least, not to their knowledge. And once Juleka dismissed the idea, she could only laugh, which then prompted Rose to laugh as well.

At long last, both girls ended up finishing their tent. It was a basic tent as far as tents went. Just a simple green one that most schools would have been given. But at the very least, it was their tent. Rose and Juleka went into the tent, placed the lamp gently inside and brought some light to their portable abode. Rose and Juleka then took the sleeping bags and rolled them out together, placing the sleeping bags next to each other. Finally, their tent was complete, and the girls now had a place to rest their heads and sleep. But they still had some time to burn before they could clock out for the night.

Juleka looked towards the skies beyond and saw that there was a blanket of stars in the night sky. Far away from the light pollution of Paris, the stars could be seen clearly on all sides by everyone. They weren't the only students who were doing a little bit of pre-sleep stargazing. Juleka took Rose's hand and lead her through the campsite, trying to find the best place to look at the stars. They passed by many students and teachers on the way, but at last, the two of them found their way to the rim of the lake at the campsite. As the water gently sloshed against the surface, Juleka and Rose skittered down to the lake and sat down on the grass.

"Wow..." Rose was the first one of the two girls to look at the stars now that they had somewhere comfortable and secluded to do it. "Juleka... this is amazing."

"It is, isn't it? A sea of stars in the cosmos beyond, shining down on all of us with many different things to say." Juleka was no stranger to waxing poetic. Some people said that the way she had with words was one of the ways that defined her as a human being. "Someday, Rose, I wanna go to the stars. I wanna leave this cradle behind and walk in outer space."

"What are you talking about, Juleka? You've _been_ to space." Rose turned to Juleka.

"Hawkmoth's villains don't count as a real trip; no matter how awesome it was," Juleka explained. "No. I wanna actually go to space of my own volition. I just wanna get on board a rocket, fly at the fastest speed there is, and float around in a weightless crucible among the infinite. Do... you wanna come with me?"

"Of course I do, Juleka. The stars just look so pretty that I'd love to travel them with you someday." Rose reached over and held Juleka's hand. The sudden touch caused Juleka to turn her gaze from the stars and look into Rose's eyes. She couldn't make it out for sure, but Juleka could have sworn that there were stars in Rose's eyes themselves.

Juleka smiled warmly as she held Rose's hand. The two of them turned their gaze back to the stars and tried to imagine what it would be like for the two of them to walk among the stars; to float adrift, hand in hand. Even if they were stranded from the earth; even if they spent the rest of their days in the inky sea of stars above, at least they knew that they would always be together. And that in itself was one of the more beautiful thoughts that Juleka had ever conceived. Rose and Juleka's eyes never left the starry sky, even as they got back to their feet and wandered back towards their tent. They wanted to keep thinking of the world beyond their home; of the galaxies they would want to see and the adventures that they would want to have together.

The two girls finally made it back to their tent at last and had one last look at the stars before they decided that it was time to clock out for the night. Juleka and Rose crawled into their tents and zipped it up for privacy. They then burrowed into their sleeping bags and zipped those up for warmth. The lantern was still on as they looked into each other's eyes again and planted their heads onto their sleeping bags' pillows.

"Sleep well, Juleka," Rose was the first one of the two to wish the other goodnight.

"You too, Rose." Juleka reached for the lantern and turned out the light, plunging both girls into darkness.

Rose's eyelids grew heavy and she fell asleep within the confines of her sleeping bag. It wasn't long until Juleka did the same. Both girls slept further and further away from reality and wandered off into dreamland as the seconds went by. And for their dreams, what else? A starry adventure in the worlds beyond, flying endlessly through the endless void of black, with billions upon billions of colourful stars lighting the way for them. Rose found Juleka in her dreams, and Juleka found Rose in hers. And as the two of them held hands and flew off together in their dreams, they both knew that they would have so much more to see and do, both in this dream and in the real world. But that was another story for another time.


	17. Day 17: Marry Me

Rose knew that she was taking a huge risk by doing something like this. She knew that she and Juleka were good friends as it was, but this went above and beyond simply being a friend anymore. Rose knew that the two of them could have been so much more, and from the ways that they had been interacting with each other as of late, she knew that she couldn't ignore it. No. Rose needed to make the first step, before she lost Juleka forever.

The two of them were on Juleka's houseboat. Juleka's mother had treated the two of them to a trip down the Seine together, seeing all of the sights that Paris had to see. So far, the two of them had sailed down to see Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, and they were now coming up to the next landmark on their little river adventure was the Grand Palais. With such a place like the Grand Palais incoming, Rose knew that it was one of the better places to make her move if she hadn't made it already. She reached down into her skirt's pockets and pulled out a small box. This was it. She knew it. And now it was the time.

"Um, Juleka?" Rose tapped on Juleka's shoulder, pulling her away from the sights of Paris for a brief moment. "I wanna ask a question."

"Sure, Rose. What is it?" Juleka asked, with that sweet smile of hers stretching from cheek to cheek.

"Uh... it's a little bit of a more complicated question than the ones you think I'm gonna ask you. C'mon." Rose took Juleka's hand and lead her towards the interior of the houseboat; away from the prying eyes of the world. She was going to make her move, but the last thing that she wanted was someone in her school catching wind of what she was about to do.

"Okay, so what's the question, Rose? Wondering where we're going? Or maybe you wanna ask a question about Kitty Section?" Juleka was already trying to guess the kind of things that Rose would ask her.

"Well, I know that it seems a little bit sudden but, y'know, Juleka, ever since I first saw you in College Francois Dupont, you've been the light of my life." Rose took a tiny step forward and clutched the box behind her back. "I've wanted to spend every single one of my days with you from the moment we bonded. Because, Juleka, we're more than best friends. I know we're more than that, and the way that we've been playing together, sharing each other's time together, hugging and kissing together, it can't just be a coincidence. I'm not exactly sure how you'll take it, but I want you to take it into consideration at the very least." Rose gulped and pulled out the box. Then, she got down onto one knee. "Juleka Couffaine, here in your house, when we both get older..." Then, the box was opened, revealing a diamond ring inside with a black rose on the inside of the box's lid. "Will you... marry me?"

"M-m-marry you?" Juleka gasped and put her hands in front of her mouth at the sight of Rose's proposal. She knew that she and Rose had good chemistry, but Juleka hadn't believed that she had that good chemistry with Rose. "Oh my... Rose... I..."

"It's alright if you say no here, Juleka. I knew that I definitely came across all too sudden like that," Rose looked into Juleka's eyes and sighed. The dream was too good to be true, it seemed.

"That's not to say that I'm saying no, Rose. I'm definitely not saying no." Juleka walked forward and wrapped her arm around Rose's shoulders, looking her in the eyes. "Because, deep down, Rose, I knew that someday you'd eventually work up the courage to ask me this question. And Rose, I'll tell you what, if we were older, like eighteen years old, I would've said yes on the spot. But... we're still underage as it is. So even if we wanted to get married, I'm afraid that we can't. Legal reasons and all."

"So..." Rose closed up the box and went puppy-dog-eyed. "That's a no?"

"Well, at the moment, Rose. But I'll tell you what. The moment you and I hit eighteen years old, that answer's gonna be a yes." Juleka gave rose a smile and wrapped her into a cuddle. "Rose Lavillant, I know how much you love me. And I'm sure that you know how much you love me. We're always gonna be two peas in a pod, girl. I'm the moon to your sun. I'm the blacklight to your rainbow. We're never gonna be torn apart. Not by family, not by friends, and certainly not by distance."

"So... we _can_ get married?" Rose asked.

"Absolutely, Rose. You and I would make the perfect couple." Juleka said, leading Rose back outside the ship. Sure enough, the boat finally arrived at the Grand Palais. "And that would make the perfect marriage venue, Rose. The Grand Palais. Also known as the Great Palace in English."

"The Grand Palais..." Rose looked at the mighty building and its' glass roof. "That's the kind of place where you'd expect princesses and princes to get married just because of the name. Oh, how I'd love to get married there. Dressed in the best white dress with the perfect flowery veil. You'd look very cute in a white wedding dress too, Juleka. Though, I know that you prefer black and purple more."

Juleka let out a chuckle. "Heh, yeah. But I wouldn't mind going white for our wedding, sweetie." She flirted with Rose, giving her another grin.

Rose ended up laughing as well at the idea of Juleka in a white wedding dress with her, walking down the aisle towards the altar, friends and family on all sides there to wish them a happy wedding day. Now, looking into Juleka's eyes and staring into the mighty Grand Palais, the dream of marrying her girlfriend didn't seem as far-fetched as Rose thought it was. Even though they were both underage, the two of them both knew what they wanted to strive for and who they wanted to be together with. Rose wanted to be with Juleka, and Juleka wanted to be with Rose. With a connection like that, it was highly unlikely that the two of them would ever meet a boy that would sweep them off their feet.

"Y'know what? Why don't we have another one? For old time's sake?" Juleka finally spoke as the two of them sailed away from the Grand Palais, hand in hand. "You up for it, Rose?"

"With you, Juleka, I'm up for anything." Rose held Juleka's hands and leaned in for a kiss.

Juleka and Rose spent that moment together as the ship sailed away from the palace, kissing each other and giving a hug at the same time. The two of them had kissed and hugged many times before, but they could tell that from this particular one that it was a much more meaningful hug and kiss than their usual affair. Now with their dreams of marriage being shared by one another, Rose and Juleka knew that there was more to their relationship than met the eye. The two of them hoped and prayed that through all of their affection and adoration towards one another that their love would persist for years to come and that when the time would finally come for them to marry, that they would both take to each other with open arms and never look back. After all, they were, in essence, the perfect girl couple. Nobody else was going to tell them otherwise.


	18. Day 18: Just Friends

Juleka and Rose were inseparable. They knew it well. And so did the majority of people at College Francois Dupont. The two of them were working hard in science class together, both concocting a brew as demonstrated by Ms. Mendeleiv. The two of them had to admit that the majority of this stuff, they had never heard of before until now, so it was anyone's guess as to how this would end up, but they didn't mind the results. At the very least, if they were gonna mess this class up horribly, then at least the two of them were messing up together.

"Alright, Juleka. It says that we need some calcium for this. Can you hand it to me?" Rose asked as she turned to Juleka. Both of them were wearing white lab coats and protective goggles.

"Sure thing, Rose." Juleka took the sample bag that contained the calcium and brought it over to Rose, laying it down by her side.

"Thanks, Juleka." Rose gave her a smile, then went for a pair of metal tweezers. She opened the bag of calcium up and gently plucked out a piece with her tweezers, bringing it over as fast as she could to the beaker of water. Juleka closed the bag up behind her, since Ms. Mendeleiv had told them and written down on the blackboard that calcium degraded rapidly in the air. Once Rose dropped the calcium into the water, Juleka reopened the bag and let Rose get another piece of calcium and drop it into the water. "So... this stuff really makes water healthier?"

"Apparently so." Juleka shrugged. She hadn't paid much attention to the lecture that Ms. Mendeleiv had given her at the start of the class, but the too long, didn't read version that Juleka heard was that it helped against cardiovascular problems. Or so she had heard. She couldn't rely on her own memory for something as high-brow as science. "Just so long as it doesn't go horribly wrong and give us some super-sketchy mutant powers or something. Not that I'd mind, though."

"You think that I'd be a cute mutant if I were to get a freaky mutation?" Rose turned towards Juleka.

"No matter what happens to you, Rose, you'll always look cute. If anything, I'd be the ugly one." Juleka let out a chuckle and cracked a smile. And with that smile, the two of them gave each other a hug as they awaited the next instruction for their little science venture.

The rest of the science class went about as well as could have been expected. Rose and Juleka followed the orders as best as they could, with the odd scientific cloudburst every now and again, resulting in both of their faces getting covered in soot. They coughed, then ended up laughing it off as they went about their class. Time seemed to fly by for both Rose and Juleka and at last, the two of them were dismissed for their next break of the day.

The courtyard of College Francois Dupont wasn't as exactly glamorous or expansive as the ones in private or elite French schools, but it was still serviceable for what it was. People could bathe in the sunlight, chat in the shade, and do all sorts of other things while they waited until their next classes. For Rose and Juleka, the two of them enjoyed their chats in the shade, sharing all sorts of topics between each other. This time, however, they were being watched from afar. The school's—in fact, Paris for that matter—heartthrob, Adrien, was watching Juleka and Rose from a distance, with his best friend, Nino by his side.

"Yo, Adrien. Rose and Juleka look awfully closer since the first time they met, yeah?" Nino asked, leaning against Adrien's shoulders. "And not just distance-wise, ya know?"

"They have been bonding an awful lot, Nino. They hardly ever spend a day without the other." Adrien folded his arms. Little did he knew that he was about to make one of the biggest faux pas he would ever make in his life. More so than revealing his identity of Cat Noir; more so that breaching his father's code of conduct. He did not know the chaos he was about to unleash. "They're both really, really, really good friends."

And that was the word. The seven-letter word beginning with the letter F that drew the eyes of every single student in the courtyard. It was as if an imaginary needle scratch had sounded on a record player. Then, it happened. Rose's ears pricked up and she cast a ferocious glare into Adrien's eyes. The kind of Rose Lavillant-trademarked glare that signalled the end of days; or so people were told.

"Excuse me?" Rose asked, marching forward to Adrien. "We're _just_ friends to you?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Adrien wasn't sure what had gotten into Rose, but he could tell from the sudden change in her disposition that he had said something horribly wrong.

"Gosh, how dense are you, Adrien Agreste?" Rose started, standing firmly, like a little diva pouting in front of her parents. "Me and Juleka are not just friends, despite what you might believe. The number of times that we held hands, hugged each other, heck, even shared kisses with one another. Do you think we share kisses like that all willy-nilly because we're _just friends_?"

"I didn't mean it like th—"

"Yeah, you didn't mean it because as far as we're aware, you can't tell friendship from an actual relationship." Juleka rolled up her sleeves. "How would you like it if the girl of your dreams; the one that you went out on date after date after date after date wanted you to show her some kind of real love, and you just called her a friend? **You'd never be talking to that girl again, Adrien.** And do you know why? Because you couldn't say the words 'I Love You' even if someone was holding up a cue card for you to read."

Adrien was flustered by Rose and Juleka barking in his face like that. He had never known the girls to talk like that to him before in his life. He knew that this would not end well, either for him or for them. He was already getting verbally massacred by Rose and Juleka right now, but if this grudge kept on, they would be seeing an Akuma again very quickly.

"Rose, Juleka, let's just take a moment to talk about this, alright?" Adrien tried to salvage the conversation, defensively raising his arms.

"Nope. You've already said what you want to say. That we're 'just friends'." Rose disgustedly turned away and looked into Juleka's eyes. "Can you believe that guy? I mean, honestly, whatever Marinette sees in him, I really don't know, Juleka."

"Let's just get out of here, Rose. He's not worth it." Juleka patted Rose's back, then glared a venomous glare into Adrien's eyes once again; causing him to take a step back. "Besides, we'll show him. Sooner or later, we'll totally get engaged, then we'll wipe that 'just friends' smirk right off of his face." And with those words, Juleka, still cuddling Rose, escorted her away from the courtyard; away from Adrien and the others.

As the other girls just turned away, Nino poked his head out from the pillar that he had been hiding behind and walked back up to Adrien's side. "Dude, I think you just royally burned there..."


	19. Day 19: "I Need Your Help."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is actually a headcanon idea that I had for Juleka, in that she's a volunteer at a créche in her spare time. I had the idea originally as an imaginary Miraculous Ladybug episode, wherein Juleka, Rose, Marinette, and Alya go together as part of College Francois Dupont work, leading to one of the caretakers becoming Akumatised and turning people into babies, to which Juleka eventually comes to the rescue after Ladybug is compromised by this baby-fying supervillain and ends up saving Paris's hide with Cat Noir by her side. The episode then ends with Juleka choosing that she wants to work at the créche more often and it's all sunshine and rainbows.
> 
> But anyways, now it's a JuleRose Rarepair Month story chapter, so... I hope that you enjoy it.

It wasn't exactly common for either Rose or Juleka to ask the other for help. After all, the two of them were one and the same. They were always going to be on hand to assist the other when it came to matters like this. But on a day like today, it was a little bit more outlandish what was about to be asked.

Juleka had been spending the day volunteering at a créche; the french term for a nursery or daycare. It had been one of the things that she had kept a secret from Rose, mostly because of how out of place it sounded for someone like her. Someone who looked like she belonged in a clique of goth kids would never be seen dead caring for kids at her age. But there was something about working at the créche that Juleka couldn't help but love. Maybe it was because it was a change of pace from the world that she knew? A way to express one of her more hidden sides? Or maybe—and this was quickly becoming one of the more believable reasons for Juleka—seeing the sight of a room full of toddler and babies playing around was relaxing for Juleka. With how turbulent the world was becoming what with Hawkmoth upping the pressure and ante on Ladybug and Cat Noir, Juleka needed somewhere where she could get away from it all; a safe space where she could close off the world And, to some extent, this créche was helping her take her mind off of it.

The créche itself was vibrant, colourful, cartoonish, and very welcoming. It was the kind of place that Rose would have fallen head-over-heels for if she were here. Cartoon creatures with big eyes lined the walls, as well as drawings and pictures that pleased the eyes of the children; there were colourful cubbies and chests that were keeping the toys safe and secure, and there were stations where Juleka could have gone if the babies needed a diaper change. There were at least ten children on the scene from what Juleka could count, but she wasn't alone. There were two other grown-ups working with her, trying to keep everything in order; the kids safe, and everything flowing smoothly. They, much like Juleka, were wearing aprons around their necks which where white with pink frills along the edges and also included a pouch for storing things. But that being said, babies were still babies, and it was hard to get a good handle on them sometimes. More often than not, one would start to wail or moan for reasons the three caretakers couldn't understand but still had to react to. The problems were quickly solved, however, much to Juleka's delight. If she didn't know any better, this place would have been a nesting ground for Hawkmoth without the friendly staff keeping the babies happy and healthy.

"Alice, please stop fighting with Louis..." Juleka had to break-up two babies fighting over a blanket. Both babies had been tugging heavily, and it wasn't until Juleka intervened and took the blanket off of both of their hands and folded it up out of reach that they stopped, only for both Alice; a blonde baby with a pair of pigtails, and Louis; a black-haired baby with long, flowing hair to start crying as any babies would if their toy was taken from them. Juleka could only place the blanket high up out of reach and kneel down to their height. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that... There, there, don't cry." Juleka reached over and tousled Alice's hair first; staring at her with both eyes. The hair that had been covering Juleka's left-eye was pinned back with a pink hairclip to make her look more approachable to the kids. And sure enough, as Juleka was tousling Alice's hair, the blonde baby girl stopped crying, then giggled and reached out for Juleka, who scooped her up. After which, Juleka went over to Louis; who was still crying his little eyes out. "You both really love that blankie, don't you? But there's only really one of it, oh, calm down, Louis..." Juleka's words and some more little arm jiggles were enough to shake Louis out of his teary-eyed fit and he looked into Juleka's smiling face with a grin of his own. "There you go..." Juleka put both babies down and then wrapped the blanket around them. "Now, you two stop playing rough, alright?"

Then, Juleka heard another wail; this time coming from a brunette baby with a pink romper. She came running over and noticed that she had just knocked over the blocky tower that she had been working so hard on. Juleka slid on her knees and came to the scene; watching the girl keep on crying. "Oh, Lina? Did you make that tower go bye-bye?" Juleka wasn't used to baby-fying her dialect, but it wasn't as if anyone else in the world would know about it and it wasn't like she'd use it anywhere else, so she learned to adjust. "Well, that just means you can keep on playing, like this!" Juleka tenderly stroked Lina's chin and started to reconstruct the block tower mess that she had made. One after another, she put blocks on top of blocks and watched as Lina stared at her with wide, almost bug-like eyes. "See? All fixed." Juleka watched Lina make a little giggle and crawl over to her side, giving her a small hug on the hips. "D'awww..."

But that was just the tip of the iceberg for Juleka. Sure enough, more and more problems arose around the nursery. More and more babies were starting to get needy or have little incidents. And while most of them were attended to by the other grown-ups on the site, for Juleka, she was still just a volunteer, so having to juggle the needs of all of the other babies while constantly being on alert for more was starting to get taxing. No soon her had she resolved an issue of one baby trying to walk only to fall very hard on their belly when another issue arose, with a baby trying to reach a pacifier that had fallen under a changing table and out of its' reach. And once that was done, the foul stench of a poop-ridden diaper filled the air, and since the other grown-ups were pre-occupied, Juleka had no choice but to brave the vile odour and bravely lift the boy who had pooped himself onto a table. And even then, she still had no clue about how the heck she was meant to change a baby.

"Mila, please stop crying..." Juleka moaned to herself as she tried to resolve an issue involving a ripped teddy bear. After which, she found herself having to stop a boy from throwing his arms and legs around in a tantrum. "Henri? I'm here... There, there, you don't need to cry anymore..." But Juleka could barely even relax with Henri; a blue-haired boy in a green romper, when another issue came rolling in. "Elodie, no! We do not eat toys like that!" She had to sprint over and pull a building block out of one more baby girl's mouth. Problem after problem arose and Juleka eventually ended up buckling under all of the jobs that she had to do. At long last, she fell onto the padded floor of the créche in a mangled up heap; exhausted from everything.

"I'm not gonna survive like this..." Juleka complained; her voice muffled against the floor's padding as the noises of babies echoed in her ears. She needed some help with this. Right now. Pushing herself up off of the floor, Juleka turned towards the two caretakers and said, "Sylvia? I need to make a quick phone call. Is that alright?"

"Of course it is, Juleka." Sylvia; one of the two ladies with black hair who had been assisting Juleka turned to face her, noticing the state that she was in. "If you want us to handle the rest of it, feel free to let us know. There's no use in running yourself ragged like this."

"I still wanna help you, don't get me wrong. But at this rate and with _so many babie_ s to look after, I can't do it alone." Juleka stood back up at last. "It won't take long, I promise." Juleka took the moment to speed out of the room, bursting through the giant pink door at the end of it; her legs stretching over the baby gate in front of it and landing on the other side. Once she was out of the room, she closed the door behind; her ears met with the sweet sound of silence. As her back slid down against the wall, Juleka let out a sigh and pulled out her phone from her pocket, opening up the list of contents. Straight away, she found Rose's contacts. She pushed the button to speed dial and waited for her to pick up.

"Hey, Juleka? How's it going?" Rose's voice came through on the other side.

"Hey, Rose. I know that this might sound a little bit unorthodox but... I need your help with something." Juleka's voice sounded shaky. And why wouldn't it have been? She had only just come out of a room with ten screaming newborn demons.

"Well, sure, Jules. I'm down to help you with anything." Rose's squeaky, bubbly voice replied as Juleka put her head against the wall. "What is it? Homework? Fashion modelling with Marinette's friends? Something happen between you and Luka?"

"It's a little bit different than that." Juleka gulped, as what she was about to say would've blown her secret out of the water. "Meet me at the Jardin des Arcs-en-ciel on the 7th Arrondissement."

"The Jardin des Arcs-en-ciel? Isn't that the—"

"Yes, it is, Rose." Juleka let out an exasperated groan as she didn't want Rose to say it straight away. "Please? I'm gonna end up burning myself out totally at this rate."

"Burn out? With me at your side? Not a chance, Juleka." Rose's voice sounded like she was making a dramatic pose involving a pumped fist. "I'll be right there. It's not too far from where I am right now, actually. See ya in a few minutes!"

Then, Rose hung up, and Juleka let another sigh slip from her lips. At last, her workload was going to be dramatically reduced with Rose's help. But then, the other niggles arrived. How would Rose react to all of this, would she even want to help, and how much easier would it have actually been for the two of them if she did say yes? After all, babies were known for being exceptionally chaotic and hard to read sometimes, even now, Juleka still questioned Hawkmoth's constant targeting of one Gigantitan if even he knew how much of an unpredictable variable he had been in all the times he had been under the Akuma spotlight. At least, in Juleka's case, none of these babies were the size of a house. Instead, there were ten of them, and they were all within reason most of the time.

At last, Rose came through the front door. And once she saw Juleka, she came walking over to her side. "Hi, Juleka. So, what's u..." And that was when she saw Juleka's apron; the kind of apron that was worn by créche workers. "Oh, Juleka? What's up with the apron?"

"Well, Rose, I think this is the first time I've ever told you this, but I've been volunteering at this créche for a few weeks now; trying to just get away from it all. But today? Those babies are just a nightmare to deal with." Juleka pointed her thumb over her shoulder towards the door. "We're all trying our very best to keep them happy but it's starting to wear me down to the bone. So... I came to you, Rose. Do you think... you could—"

"Help you? You don't even need to finish that sentence, Juleka. Of course!" Rose grinned a wide grin and threw Juleka into a hug. "Oh, Juleka, you should've told me this sooner, I love places like this; especially the kids inside. So tiny, so playful, so completely unaware of the rest of the world, it's just adorable!"

Juleka could only let out a small smile of her own as she stood back up and wrapped her arm around Rose's shoulders. "Alright then. Looks like we're doing this, then." Juleka said. Then, she put her hand on the door. "Now, are you sure that you're ready for this? There's ten babies in there at least, and all of them can get pretty wild."

"Juleka, I've got Susie in my life. If I can handle Susie, then I'm pretty sure I can handle babies." Rose gave Juleka a sassy smirk and put her own hand on the door.

Rose and Juleka both walked back into the room together. Juleka stepped over the gate, then opened it briefly to allow Rose to walk in normally. Both the gate and the door shut, Juleka lead Rose towards Sylvia and the other woman working with her. Once Sylvia finished changing Henri, she turned to see Juleka and Rose.

"Oh, is this your friend, Juleka?" Sylvia asked, looking down at Rose.

"Mmhmm." Juleka gave a nod. "I hope you don't mind if I bring her on too, Sylvia."

"Oh, that's not a problem, not a problem at all. After all, many hands make light work. Plus, she looks like the kind of person who would be perfect with the little ones." Sylvia clasped her hands together as she looked Rose from top to bottom. From her short, blonde hair, to the pink dress on her body, and the sunny disposition she radiated, Sylvia knew that Juleka had made the right choice. "Adrianna? Can you help Rose get dressed up in an apron?"

"Of course. Right this way, Rose." Adrianna, who was a girl with golden hair in puffy curls looked towards Rose, gave her a grin, and lead her over another gate which lead to what seemed like a kitchen, and then out of Juleka and Sylvia's sight.

For a few minutes after that, it was just Sylvia and Juleka together. The two of them had the whole room to deal with, so it was obvious to see how much more work they had to put in with how they had to rush from one scene to another, but whenever Juleka made a mistake, Sylvia was there to quickly fix that mistake and accompany her either with some sage advice or some physical interaction. Juleka was thankful to Sylvia for her patience, and Sylvia knew that Juleka was still just a volunteer, so the two of them tolerated each other greatly. But even with only two people looking after ten babies, the two of them knew that it was still going to be an uphill battle until Adrianna and Rose returned.

Sure enough, after Juleka had resolved a battle involving Alice and Lina trying to throw rubber balls into each other's faces, she saw it. She saw Rose Lavillant dressed in one of the créche's aprons. And when she did, she couldn't help but feel her breathe stifle as she put her hands in front of her face at the sight. Rose looked like she had been working there her whole teenage life. And not just that, but the dress made Juleka believe that Rose was even more adorable and precious than she had already been. It didn't take her any time at all for Juleka to come over to Rose's side and give her a warm smile.

"You like it, Juleka?" Rose showed off the apron that she was wearing. "It was a little tricky to find one that was my size, but luckily, Adrianna had my back."

"I love it, Rose." Juleka was quick to the point with her opinion on Rose's new uniform, and quickly pulled her in for a short hug; one that Rose quickly gave back. As the two of them watched Adrianna return to her duties, the two of them stared at the créche, arm over each other's shoulder. "Now, c'mon. Let's go put some smiles on some very small, very sweet, and very-young faces, shall we?"

"Let's do it, Juleka." Rose remarked, and the two of them stepped forward; ready to bring the babies in the room happiness, fun, and above all, safety.

As the day went on, both Juleka and Rose found their work very straight forward. With four caretakers looking after ten infants, the workload seemed a lot less stressful. Now, whenever Juleka heard a crying baby, if it wasn't her handling it, it was Sylvia, Adrianna, or Rose tending to their needs. With less things to keep track of, Juleka didn't have to run around anymore. She could just calmly walk to the problem, handle it properly, and make sure that she had all of the energy she needed for the next. It became so much more simplified that Juleka even had time to play with the majority of the babies after solving their problems, to which she was rewarded with smiles, laughter, and more hugs from her tiny audience. At last, her little safe spot away from the rest of the world truly did feel like a safe spot again, and she had Rose to thank for it.


	20. Day 20: Jealous

Rose's cheeks were puffed up, her arms were thrown down by her side, and her eyebrows were pushing down against her eyelids. She was not a happy bunny in the slightest. And she wasn't shy of letting Juleka know it. "It's not fair!" She protested, pouting as if she were a character from an anime. "I've done everything that I can, and he still doesn't even pay me any attention!"

"Calm down, Rose." Juleka raised her arms defensively. "What's got you all worked up like that?"

"I've been to every single one of his fundraisers, I've given him the gifts that I know he appreciates and loves, and I've done everything that I can to stand out from all of the rest of his supporters, but I still can't win Prince Ali over!" Rose barked, swinging her arms around. "I'm so jealous! Not just of the girls and boys who get closer to him when I can't, but also because all my efforts of getting him to notice me are being squandered!"

"This about Prince Ali again?" Juleka turned and went back to her locker, putting her textbook from the last class back into her backpack. "I'm sure that he'll notice you eventually. But, hey, if he doesn't, I'm sure you'll bounce back from it. Besides, it's not the first time you've tried to get his attention."

"I know that, but it's just..." Rose made a fist out of her hand. "He's just such a figurehead in helping the world out and... I want to follow that example. But how can I when he doesn't even notice all the things I do for him? What more can I do, Juleka? I don't want to be jealous of everyone else he does speak to."

"Trust me, Rose. It doesn't matter how much or how little you help out with Prince Ali's efforts. The fact that you're doing this alone speaks louder than anything else you could do on your own." Juleka held Rose's hands and looked her in the eyes. "Look, whatever the case, you're only gonna make it worse by getting so steamed like that. Just... tell me, what exactly are you trying to do this time to get Ali's attention?"

"What am I trying to do? Well..." Rose went to her phone and opened up the internet application. She scrolled to the tab that she had been focused on and showed off the contents of the page to Juleka. "See this? Prince Ali's going to be coming around to Paris again to commemorate a new playground for the kids. And it says that the person who donates the most gets to stand by his side and open the park with him, but... I don't know how I'm supposed to raise enough money to beat whoever's at the top of the pedestal!" Rose showed a new page that showed the rankings and donations. Sure enough, there was a girl who had raised over five thousand euro at the top of the table. "I barely even get a hundred euros every month; and that's just for my own expenses. There's no way I can beat that score, Juleka."

"Uh, okay. First of all, _**wow**_." Juleka's eyes nearly popped out of their skull when she saw the donation amounts that had been sent into help out the cause. Even if she pooled together her allowance with Rose's, pulled some strings with Luka and her mother, heck, even if she rallied the entire school together to pitch in and help Rose, there was no chance that she was going to get Rose to the number one spot and get her to meet Prince Ali. "Second of all, even if you miss him, Rose, it's not like it's the last ever time he's gonna come to Paris. You'll get your chance again sometime soon."

"Yeah, but I don't know when!" Rose whined in a high-pitched tone, scrunching her face into a frown as she looked into Juleka's eyes. "He's just one of the best people to be around when you're not there for me, Juleka. I want to be right by his side when he does all these great things for the world, but I'm just... me. I'm just Rose. I'm not some big-name idol like Adrien. I'm not super-spoilt like Chloe. I'm just a normal girl with blonde hair, pink clothes, and a love for unicorns that other people would see as an unhealthy obsession..."

"And _what's wrong with that, exactly?_ " Juleka laid a hand on Rose's shoulder, causing her frown to be replaced by a simple 'o' shape as she looked into Juleka's eyes. "Rose, there's nothing wrong with being ordinary. Heck, it's one of the reasons why you're you in the first place. You don't have boys fawning over you because you don't need 'em. It's not like you're missing out on anything by wanting or needing a boy in your life, so why start now? Sure, sure, Ali's a catch, but there's plenty of fish in the sea. And as it stands, you're **my catch** , Rose."

"Your catch?" Rose blinked as she tried to make sense of Juleka's analogy.

"Basically, Rose, you're perfectly happy as you are. It's not like missing Prince Ali is gonna make you super-upset and send Hawkmoth straight to your doorstep. The Princess Fragrance thing came and went, Rose. Nobody should let history like that repeat itself; especially not you." Juleka wasn't usually the one to give inspiring talks and get people to follow their heart, but in the case of her friend—and potential future wife—she could make some exceptions. "You'll definitely see Prince Ali again. And when that happens, I'm gonna be right there when he comes 'round. No need to let FOMO get in the way of your life. That's my job."

Rose was touched by Juleka's words. She knew that Juleka was a master when it came to making things sound much more dramatic, heartwarming, and more impactful than they had any right to be. Any other girl or boy would have told her to just get better and get over her worries, but here was Juleka, giving her words to live by; even when she got older and potentially never saw her again. Some small tears formed in her eyes as a wobbly smile formed on her face. She threw her arms around Juleka and gave her a tight hug, nuzzling her head into Juleka's tummy. "Oh, Julie... Those were such beautiful words. Thank you so much!"

"Heh, you're welcome, Rose." Juleka lowered a hand onto Rose's hair and tousled it tenderly, which just made Rose burrow herself into Juleka's stomach even more. "Y'know what? Why don't I take you to Ali's opening of the park myself?"

"F-f-for real?" Rose looked up at Juleka's eyes with sparkles in her own and a much more straight smile on her face.

"Yeah. Your treat. It's not like I've got anything on anyways. Besides, you wanna meet the prince, right?" Juleka chuckled as she looked down into Rose's anime-like eyes. "Well, Rose, consider me your fairy godmother. I can't exactly get you some crystal slippers or turn a pumpkin into a royal coach, but at least I can still get you to Ali no sweat."

Rose giggled at the way that Juleka had worded it and broke out of the hug at last. "Well, thanks, Juleka. I feel a lot better now."

"You're welcome, Rose." Juleka smiled as she watched Rose put things away in her locker and pull out some new books. "And when the day comes, you shall go to the ball, my dear." She put on a posh-totty accent for the second half of that sentence as if trying to emulate the fictional fairy herself, complete with swooping arm motions. The whole thing earned another chuckle from Rose. Anything that Juleka could do to turn the frown on Rose's face upside down, she would do it. If not for her sake, then all for hers.


	21. Day 21: Sneak Around

Rose and Juleka knew that they were going to get in trouble if they were caught by security. And not the kind of trouble which they were used to, but the kind of trouble that could have had major long-term consequences down the line for them. It was the night of Jagged Stone's latest concert, and Juleka had convinced Rose to sneak backstage with her to get up close and personal with the man of the hour himself. Both girls hoped that it would've been alright once they made it into the guy's dressing room, but already, their venture was fraught with danger.

As was expected of any concert like this, there were security guards roaming the corridors, both making sure that any intruders were kept out while also being bored with the lack of action. At least they were getting paid, the guards thought. And that, if anything was one of the few guaranteed solaces that they could take away from this.

Juleka and Rose turned the corner and found that on the other side, there were at least three men strolling through. At the sides of the walls, there were black chests, racks of clothes, wires and plugs. There were also doors, but something told Juleka and Rose that none of those doors would lead to Jagged Stone. In fact, the two of them were convinced that one of them would either take them to the stage where he was performing or down into one of the darker depths of this backstage world the two found themselves in.

Juleka and Rose didn't dare speak as they watched the guards moving up and down the corridor. They had only a few chances to sneak by and even fewer to take cover with how strict the routine seemed to be. Juleka was the first to break cover and dart behind a clothing rack, with Rose quickly following behind. Secluded from the guards, Juleka and Rose poked their heads out and looked to the left and right, trying to see what their next play was. There was an open chest that wasn't far from where they were standing and they had a brief moment to get inside while the guards had their backs turned. Inhibitions gone, Rose and Juleka darted out of the clothes and raced into the chest. As soon as the two got inside and closed the lid up, the guards turned their eyes back to the corridor once again.

"Okay... now what?" Rose whispered as silently as she could. It was almost like her voice was inaudible with how silent it was. The last thing either of them wanted was to get caught now. "Ya think this'll get us closer to Jagged Stone?"

"Beats me. Still, at least it's better than getting caught by those guards outside." Juleka had also resorted to whispering since she too found herself wrapped up in this world of stealth and secrecy. "Plus, it's kinda invigorating to do this kind of stuff with you, Rose." Juleka gave Rose a smile; one that was obstructed by the darkness surrounding them.

"Mmhmm. Same here. This is way out of my comfort zone, but y'know what? I don't even care because you're here, Juleka." Rose threw her arms around Juleka, or at least, what she presumed to be Juleka.

Then, to the two girls's surprise, the box started moving. It had been lifted up by a fork trolley and was being moved off to its' destination. On the outside, the man in charge of moving the box was completely unaware that Juleka or Rose was inside the box. All that he could comment on the box was just how heavy it was and how he questioned what the heck Jagged was going to be wearing for this next concert of his. Even a simple mind knew that most clothes were quite light, so what was he planning?

At last, the box reached its' destination. A door with a star on it with the words "Jagged Stone" marked on the plaque. This was undoubtedly where Jagged was wiling away the hours until his big performance started. And sure enough, as the man opened the door, it was proven true. There was a single chair in the room looking towards the mirror, and sitting on that chair, with his long, bushy, purple hair was Jagged himself, humming a little ditty in his head to try and get into the spirit of rock and roll. There were also pictures on the wall that showed off Jagged's memories, as well as some posters of both his current concert and of concerts past.

"Where do you want these outfits, Mr. Stone?" The man asked, looking around the dressing room.

"Oh, just put 'em over there." Jagged Stone waved his arm to the left, over to an empty spot within the dressing room.

"Sure thing." The man said as he positioned the box where Jagged had said and removed the tines of his fork trolley from the underside of the chest. "Now, I don't know about you, and I don't mean anything bad Mr. Stone, but what kind of clothes have you got in this thing? They were heavier than the last time I moved this box."

"Heavier?" Jagged Stone's brows were raised and he stood up from his seat, turning towards the box just as the man left the room. Curiously, he walked slowly towards the box and brought his hands to the latches. He opened them up; hearing clicking noises after each one was opened up. "How could clothes be heavy? That's not rock and roll if my outfits are heavier than usual..." He told himself. Then, at last, he lifted up the lid of the box and looked inside.

And sure enough, there they were, sitting on top of the contents. Rose and Juleka had been revealed to Jagged Stone; once again bathed in ceiling lights. As soon as the two girls saw Jagegd Stone, it took everything for them to hold in their excitement. Their smiles grew dangerously wide, but none of them dared to scream, lest they summoned the security. Instead, the two of them made strained noises of jubilation that sounded like squeaking, balloons deflating, or toddlers cooing in delight.

"Heh. What do you know?" Jagged Stone couldn't help but crack a small grin of his own as he helped Rose and Juleka out of the chest. "Every day, my fans find new ways to get 'round security." He said as Rose and Juleka stood upright in his room. "Well, since you've already made it this far, I suppose I should give you something, right?"

"Y-y-you mean it?" Rose didn't think that she and Juleka would have gotten this far. "For reals? Something from Jagged Stone himself?"

"W-w-we just wanted to try and get into your dressing room, Jagged Stone. I... didn't think that we'd get this far, to be honest." Juleka blushed at each cheek as she looked into Jagged Stone's eyes.

"Hey, think nothing of it. Who am I to get harsh on fans? Even if they've managed to sneak their way in here." Jagged strolled back towards the table and took out a pair of lanyards with purple stripes promoting his concert. He clicked a pen down and started scrawling down some autographs on the two sheets of paper inside for Rose and Juleka, who were still standing there in stunned, silent euphoria. Once he was done, Jagged handed the lanyards to Rose and Juleka, both of which had been signed by him. "We'll call this our little secret, shall we? It's not like Penny's gonna have trouble keeping track of a pair of lost lanyards."

Rose and Juleka still couldn't even muster up words as they looked down at the pair of autographed lanyards. This was something out of a dream; a fantasy even. The two of them pinched themselves, then promptly slapped themselves to see if they weren't dreaming. When they saw that they were still in Jagged's dressing room, the two of them turned to each other and said, "This isn't a dream..." After which, they let out a pair of fangirl screams and pulled each other into one of the tightest hugs they had ever done in their lives. "This isn't a dream!"

Jagged Stone could only watch as the two girls jumped up and down on the spot in jubilation over their newly autographed lanyards. He stood back, crossed his legs and arms and gave a tender grin. "Rock on, girls. World needs more people like you..." He said to himself as he watched his fans celebrating right before his eyes. His heart swelled with renewed and elevated confidence and pride, Jagged Stone couldn't wait to see the two of them in the crowd once he went up on stage that night.


	22. Day 22: Celebrity Crush

Juleka wasn't one to get hung up on celebrity crushes in front of friends, but here, she was willing to make an exception. A book signing was happening at the local bookstore, and inside, a man with black hair growing longer down his right side than the left, with a tophat on the top of his head and a suit on his body, was signing autographs for young adults holding copies of his book; The Raven's Feather. This author was none other than Jean-Miguel Sanfranque; one of Juleka's favourite authors. She had been constantly enthralled with his stories for exploring the deeper aspects of life and the world around her.

Today, Juleka and Rose just so happened to be at Jean-Miguel's book signing, standing in the crowd of teenage boys and girls who had all been similarly touched and motivated by his words. Juleka held her copy of The Raven's Feather tight in her hands. If she was going to get it signed by the author of her dreams, then there was nobody else she could entrust the book to other than herself. Rose would've been a good candidate, but even she wasn't willing to risk her book; even if Rose was a competent, caring, and loveable book caretaker.

"Oh, I hope I get to see him soon!" Juleka was practically bouncing on the spot with how giddy she was to be meeting Jean-Miguel face to face. To actually meet the man behind the moniker; the wordsmith who had pinned the book himself. "Rose, Rose, can you believe what an incredible opportunity this is?"

"No, Juleka. I can't believe it either." Rose had to admit that she wasn't as into Jean-Miguel's work as much as Juleka was, but she was still there to be a good friend, and to snap her out of any fangirl-worthy trances that Juleka would have fallen under if she came face-to-face with the author of the book. "Still, what is it about this guy that you like?"

"Well, for one, he's one of the best kind of writers; profound. The words that his books show off, the philosophies each one calls into question, and the way that he spins such great tales with those author skills, you can't help but love it. Even if it is a far cry from unicorns, kitties, and anything else cute." Juleka explained, turning to Rose. "One of my favourite passages comes from Chapter 16; the Falling Star. 'On a silent battlefield, Don Mark came face-to-face with the progenitor of all his problems; the very reason he stood as the notorious crime lord. The streetlights dimly twinkled as Sebastien's silhouette shimmered softly beyond the veil of darkness. Then, with but a single breath, both of them charged forward, ready to meet their fate.' It's just so poetic. And that leads into a fight scene! Can you imagine any other book passage leading into a fight scene being worded with that level of sophistication?"

"N-no?" Rose blushed at each cheek and shrugged. She clearly was out of her depth here, but as long as it was all for Juleka's sake, she pretended to know. At the very least, she wasn't making her sad by telling her the truth.

"Exactly! There's so many ways that you can end up in a fight scene in stories these days, and a lot of the time, writers just say that they wound up in a fight, or they don't bother to make it sound even the slightest bit interesting. At that point, it's better to just watch a movie or something with lots of action instead." Juleka folded her arms, caressing the book once again. "Not in the case of Jean-Miguel. He makes you believe that you're there. That you're seeing the fight with your own eyes. That you're within the story itself. And that, Rose, is why I just HAVE to get this signed by him today."

Rose stood by Juleka's side as the people in the crowd got their signatures on by one and left the bookstore behind, making high-pitched squeals as they went on their separate ways. Inch by inch, Juleka and Rose were getting closer to Jean-Miguel, and bit by bit, Juleka's breath was beginning to get more stifled. At this rate, it would be unlikely for her to talk once she made it to Jean-Miguel. She was already being brave enough mustering up the courage to meet him like this, but to actually share some small talk before, during, or after his signing of her copy of his book was already making her heart thump ferociously in her chest.

And then, at last, she arrived. Juleka was now standing by Jean-Miguel's desk with the book in her hands, though that grip was fastly loosening up as her arms turned into figurative jelly before him. Juleka couldn't even fathom that this was real. It was probably a dream she was having and she was likely still in bed. That was until she heard something about Rose greeting her and gave Juleka a light slap on the back.

"...And she's one of your biggest fans." Juleka heard Rose talking normally again, and watched as she turned towards her. "Well? Go on, Juleka? Hand him the book. He's your idol, isn't he?"

"I... I wouldn't say... that." Juleka's true nervousness was showing as she clutched the book in both of her hands and gently handed it over to Jean-Miguel. "I... I'm just a fan of your work, mister Sanfranque. Honest."

"A fan is still a fan, no matter how devoted they truly are." Jean-Miguel spoke in a smooth voice as he took his pen and started writing a message to Juleka on the footnote at the back of the book. "I've dealt with the nervous kind before. They're the best kind of people. To see their sensibilities and their worries is a sign of how my work has touched their hearts. This message is extra-special for you, Juleka. Take a look." He finished writing the autograph and turned the book back over to Juleka, who leaned over and started to read.

"To Juleka Couffaine; with hair as black as the darkest night, with her purple stripe showcasing the moon shimmering softly in it. I'm glad that you enjoyed my works and I know that your worries can be overpowering. But you are far stronger than you realise..." Juleka might have just been reading something written down by someone else, but it was still a message from THE Jean-Miguel Sanfranque himself. "And with your beliefs, your convictions, and your best friend, Rose by your side, you can and will aspire to great heights and achieve your goals. Keep expanding your horizons..." Juleka let out a gasp, then shakily craned her neck upwards to Jean-Miguel "That's... your signature quote."

"Only for the most devoted of my fans, Juleka. I'm glad that I was able to meet you, and I'm sure that you're exceptionally happy after receiving my autograph." Jean-Miguel gave her a smile.

"I... I..." Juleka was practically sweating as she took the book. "Thank you so much!" She gave a bow then raced out of the bookstore. Once she was outside, she let out the biggest, longest, and most excited fangirl scream that she could have ever mustered. If there was an anti-Hawkmoth that made butterflies that flew towards happiness, she would be a prime target for it.

Rose just watched from afar as she watched Juleka gleefully gallivant down the streets of Paris with the biggest smile on her face that she had ever seen. And that was Rose's part of the reward for coming out to see Jean-Miguel Sanfranque. If, at the end of it all, Rose could see Juleka happy, then she didn't care where she went, what she did, or however she made Juleka happy. The ends always justified the means, and Rose's ends heavily justified her coming to this book signing. She strolled off after Juleka, eager to see her happy smile last the rest of the day.


	23. Day 23: Warm By The Fire

Juleka and Rose were oddballs. They both knew it deep down. Both girls were unexpectable towards each other; even though they knew almost everything about each other. Still, there was one thing that they both loved doing together when no-one else was watching; swimming in the Seine in the middle of the night every so often. It was on one such night when Juleka and Rose were having a sleepover at Juleka's house—which were extremely commonplace for the two of them at this point. It was just as Luka, as well as Juleka's mother had fallen asleep when Juleka and Rose snuck outside and crept out of the room; making virtually no noise ever.

Under the dead of night and hidden from the shining lights of the city streets, Juleka and Rose secretly changed into their swimming costumes; a pair of bathing suits that looked the same, yet were coloured quite differently. With Juleka's skintight dark magenta bathing suit, and Rose's being bright pink. The two girls felt the brisk air as they stood on the edge of the ship and looked down at the inky, darkened waters of the Seine. But this was something that they had grown used to; the cold water sloshing and splashing around them. It was one of the secret pleasures within their secret pleasure. Holding each other's hands, the two girls looked down and jumped into the blackened water, submerging themselves under it.

Rose and Juleka both swam around in the silent Paris night, flipping their arms and legs around, cutting through the water, and occasionally splashing each other with water; laughing all the while. Rose's preferred swimming stroke was the breaststroke, while Juleka preferred the butterfly stroke. However much they swam, they were swimming. Though, the two of them did have to admit that the water was cold. It had always been cold. Part of one of the reasons why their swims were secretive was because they didn't want to show anyone else how cold they were or that they had even been swimming.

That particular night after their veiled swim in the Seine, Rose and Juleka clambered back onto the boat shivering from head to toe. The cold water below and the light, yet biting winds above were starting to take their toll on them. They wouldn't have done such a thing if they didn't enjoy it, and they did. They just weren't used to all of the small things that niggled at them whenever they did something like this.

"J-J-Juleka?" Rose asked as she scuttled over towards the towels that they had laid out for themselves; hidden just behind one of the walls on the ship's exterior. The way that she moved looked erratic, but Juleka didn't mind. She would've done similar motions as well. "Why is it so cold? Like, why do we always get so cold whenever we do this? Do we just have Frozen Teenager Syndrome or something?"

"Nah, I think it's something else, Rose." Juleka was used to the cold, so she wasn't as jolty and jagged with her walk cycle as Rose was being. She took the towels that Rose procured and wrapped one around herself; instantly enthralled by the dry fabrics sucking out all of the wet patches she had picked up on her little swim. "Still wish we weren't so cold when we get out, though."

"Do you have anything that'll help us get warm without waking up Luka or your mother, Juleka?" Rose questioned as she coddled herself up in her towel, snuggling into the towel's warmth. "Because I could totally go for something like it now."

"Well... there is something that we use in the living room to turn up the heat." Juleka looked back into the boat, into the darkened living room. "A fireplace. Though, we really only use it for Christmas time stuff to make the house seem even cosier every now and again."

"That'd be perfect!" Rose rushed into the room without even considering the consequences. Her entire back was dripping with water and she left a trail of it behind as she plonked her butt down by the unlit fireplace and started to fiddle with the dials near it.

"Rose... That's..." Juleka sighed and took the towel off of her body and started to mop up all of the water that Rose had left behind. No sooner had she gotten back inside the houseboat when Rose was able to turn on the fireplace and fill that corner of the room with warmth, as well as bring some light to the interior. As Juleka looked up from her cleaning up duties, she saw that Rose was beginning to dry herself off properly now that there was heat. "Never mind."

"You should come sit by me, Juleka." Rose looked back and patted the ground next to her invitingly, even though it was a puddle she was slapping. "The fire's nice and warm and you look like you're freezing..."

"Thanks for the offer, Rose." Juleka just walked over and mopped up the patch that Rose had been splattering around. After which, she put the towel down and sat on it, as if it were a cushion.

"Y'know, we do this swimming stuff an awful lot, Juleka." Rose commented now that the two of them were curled up by the fire. "Ya think we'd be good swimmers if we went pro? Maybe we should join a swimming club! Didn't Kim mention that he goes swimming with his girlfriend every now and again? We should ask him."

"You're awfully chatty for someone who was cold as an ice cube a few seconds ago." Juleka chuckled and folded her arms. She knew that Rose had a tendency to get chatty every now and again; sometimes at the worst times. And Juleka knew that it was still the middle of the night, and at any time, they could've said something that would have stirred her mother and brother. Juleka could only hope that the two of them were fast asleep so that they could continue this conversation.

"I know, right? It's so strange what the world can do to you sometimes..." Rose looked into the flickering flames of the fire. "Still, ya think we'd be good swimmers?"

"Well, if we can swim in the Seine in the middle of the night, I think we could brace just about any swim club this side of Europe." Juleka also turned her gaze towards the flames, watching as they crackled and danced around elegantly. The way that the fire burnt brightly to dry away the cold water that once draped her and Rose, it was soothing to see the contrast between the two elements. "Besides, I think Kim would be fine with us joining whatever club he's part of. Just as long as we don't cut into his time with his girlfriend."

"I think you'd be a really good swimmer, Juleka." Rose patted Juleka on the back, still feeling residual wetness even though Juleka had dried herself off. "Maybe you'd even take part in some contests someday. The way that you glide along the water like that, you're really talented with the butterfly stroke."

"Just like you with your breaststroke. You've got it down, girl." Juleka wrapped her arm around Rose's shoulders; feeling that she was still sopping. "If I'm gonna be part of swimming competitions, I want you to be part of them as well, Rose. You and I could totally dominate in the swimming world if we put our all into it."

"I can just see it now. Rose and Juleka. The Two Darts of France!" Rose was having one of her imaginary thoughts. "We should totally do this more often, Juleka. Improve our craft. Then, we'll be swimming rings around the other people in no time!"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Juleka cocked a smirk and nestled her head next to Rose's. With thoughts of being swimming champions in their heads, the two girls watched the fire burn on and on, constantly serving as a beacon of light and a giver of warmth. The two of them completely forgot that they were even wet or cold as they sank into the embrace of the fire. And now, with their problems solved, the two of them smiled once again; knowing that they would have the wills, determination, friendship, and drive to overcome anything and face all of their dreams together.


	24. Day 24: Holiday Traditions

Snow was falling onto Paris outside, landing on the windows, coating the roads, and turning the whole city into a world blanketed by white. But while all of that was going on outside, something else was going on inside the houses of Paris. Families, friends, and all sorts of people were gathered around fireplaces, with Christmas trees and other decorations filling the rooms. There were trays of food laid out, TVs playing shows that were running Christmas specials, and everyone was in high spirits to welcome Santa that evening.

In one particular house; the Lavillant house, Juleka and Rose were sitting together by the fireplace, drinking mugs of hot chocolate together. Rose was wearing a bow in her hair that was red, white, and green; the three colours synonymous with Christmas. She was also wearing a red Christmas jumper that had a snowy background on it with more snow falling onto it. As for Juleka, she was wearing a black Christmas jumper which was also snowing, but it was a picture of a snowy pile of Christmas presents, all with different shapes, sizes, and colours on them. The two of them had hot chocolate resting on their lips as they finished their latest sips, but they didn't mind, as they just giggled at seeing the sight of the other's chocolate moustache before wiping them off with a napkin.

"Oh, I love a good bit of hot chocolate." Rose smiled as she turned to Juleka. "How are you enjoying it, Juleka?"

"It's... sweet. Warm, sugary, and full of life, despite the colours. Just goes to show that it doesn't matter how it looks as long as it tastes nice." Juleka smiled as she took another small nursing sip of the drink. "You and your family put a lot of work into this drink, Rose."

"Thanks. It's a Lavillant family tradition!" Rose gave off one of her cheery, toothy grins.

"A... family tradition?" Juleka's eyes went slightly wide at the sound of that.

"Yeah! Every year, the whole family makes hot chocolate totally from scratch. Mom and dad always go out to get the ingredients, and while they're gone, me and Susie play Christmas games together." Rose started to explain, tipping her hand forward. "There was this one time last year where Susie put a tomato on my nose and turned me into Rudolph. Then she made me piggyback her all the way through the house over and over. It was a ton of fun. Though... at the end of it all, I think my nose got a little red for real after having to wear that cold tomato..."

"Sounds like you hold this whole making hot chocolate thing close to your heart, Rose." Juleka took another drink of the hot chocolate and thought about the whole Lavillant family making hot chocolate together. She could smell the product of their work, but now she was imagining the process itself and the amount of love that went into each and every one of her drinks.

"What about you, Juleka? Do your family have any traditions for Christmas?" Rose asked, eyelids fluttering like butterflies.

"Well, there is one. But it's really just a small one. Nothing too special." Juleka flexed her fingers outward. "It's nothing like the one that you and your family does."

"Still, I wanna know. Please, Julie?" Rose leaned in closer, nuzzling Juleka's neck.

Juleka sighed. She knew when to spill the beans to Rose; especially when it came to stuff she really wanted to know about. "Every year, me, Luka, and mom take a cruise on the Seine. Like, she actually drives the boat out of Paris and goes down for a few days, then she comes back up to Paris just as it's Christmas Eve, so that we're welcomed back to a winter wonderland when we get home. It's just... awesome. Simply put." Juleka smiled. "Luka's always practising his guitar wherever we go, I'm reading my book when there's nothing interesting to see, and mom's always leading the way, trying to make the trips exciting."

"Wow... I wish I could take a trip on the Seine like you do every year..." Rose looked at Juleka and thought about how nice it would be to take a river cruise down the Seine for a few days; getting away from the madness that's been going on with Hawkmoth and Ladybug. A break from the strife was a nice thought, but then, another one popped into her head. "But wait, Juleka. It's a few days until Christmas. Shouldn't you be on the river Seine with the family right now?"

"Well, that's the problem, really. Mom's gotta have her ship serviced for a few days, so we couldn't exactly make our plans like we always do. We still use it to live in, but there's a bunch of people trying to fix it up." Juleka stretched her fingers out and turned to Rose. "We were all a bit upset, and I thought that one of us was gonna get contracted by an Akuma, but we all found our ways out of that little pitfall."

"Oh? How so?" Rose asked.

"Simple. Luka went back to playing guitar, as he always does. My mom got in touch with some old friends and family and talked with them a lot during the repairs. And me... well, being stuck here means _I get to be stuck here with you, Rose_." Juleka flashed Rose a smile and pulled her into a sideways hug; one that Rose was more than happy to reciprocate.

Rose cooed softly as she burrowed her way into Juleka's warm embrace. Knowing that Juleka was more than happy to spend her time with her, over going off on a river cruise with her family down the Seine was more than enough to get her heart-a-flutter. Rose did have to admit, she got lonely every year whenever Juleka wasn't there for her. To her, Juleka had bonded with Rose enough to the point where they were more than just friends. It was like they were long-lost sisters reunited by the strings of fate. And one way or another, Rose was determined to keep that friendship up.

"Thanks, Juleka. For being here for me this Christmas." Rose said softly under her breath as she turned the sideways hug into a full hug, wrapping both of her arms around Juleka's chest.

"You're welcome, Rose." Juleka wrapped her arms around Rose's chest as well and fell into her embrace. Now, it wasn't just the fire that was keeping them warm that night...


	25. Day 25: Slow Dance

Juleka and Rose had been waiting for a moment like this. The school they both attended were holding a dance. The whole ordeal was being held in the courtyard. The sky above them was blue and clear of clouds, the sun's rays shone down radiantly, illuminating the courtyard brilliantly. People were conversing under the shade or dancing in the sun. There was no in-between. No work, no worries, just pure enjoyment for teenagers like them.

The current song that was playing at the moment was coming to its' last notes. It was a rather jovial song that got people into the spirit of celebration. It was having an effect on everyone there, including Rose and Juleka, who lost themselves in the beat and were dancing around quite energetically. In places, it looked like they were jumping with how much speed they were putting into their dance. Juleka and Rose didn't even care if they were being judged for their dance. At the very least, they were having the time of their lives as they spun, swung, hopped, kicked, and jived through the courtyard.

"Alright! You've totally got it, everyone!" Nino, who had generously volunteered to provide the music for everyone, announced to the courtyard as he began setting up the next song for all of the boys and girls on the campus. The record that he had switched over to the next song and he pushed some dials forward in preparation. "But now, I think it's time we take it down a peg or two. This next one's a real smooth beat for any lovers in the house today. But even if you're alone, that's totally fine too."

And then, Nino put it on. The one song that these students had heard more than a few times before. The song that sounded like a near-lawsuit version of Careless Whisper by George Michael. The one that was usually played for romance purposes. The one that he knew was going to get more than a few lovey-dovey couples to dance in harmony with each other.

Sure enough, Juleka and Rose were enthralled by the song and stopped dead in their tracks. Letting the beat, rhythm, and lack of lyrics do the rest for them. The two let a breath slipped from each of their mouths and looked deep into their eyes. They knew well what was coming and couldn't wait a second longer. Quick as they could, the two grabbed each other's hands, stared once again, and then felt their feet slowly move along to the beat of the song.

"We're... really doing this?" Juleka asked, breaths escaping her as she sunk into Rose's hold and let her arms and legs move in time with hers.

"Yes. A slow dance, Julie." Rose had regained her composure first and was leading Juleka along the sun-soaked dancefloor, her eyes closing gently as she took Juleka's body into her own and danced with her. "Just like a prince and princess would have at a royal ball."

Juleka felt herself moving along to Rose's lead in a way that she had never felt before. With the beat assisting her, she placed her trust in Rose and danced without thinking. Swivels, spins, swooping motions, it was all so alien to Juleka, yet Rose was showing her the way without having to say a word. For Juleka, the world around her seemed to disappear as she focused her gaze entirely on Rose. The sweet little ball of sunshine that had guided her through her life many times before. Now, she was here to lead her through this song, as a true dance partner would.

Rose spent a moment in-between moves to stare into Juleka's eyes. Tiny breaths tumbled out of her mouth and a feeling of passion resonated in her heart. Juleka was right here and she was showing her how to dance like a true lady. Rose thought for a few moments that she had been put into a fairytale. Maybe it was a fairytale; one spurred on by one of Hawkmoth's newest villains. Rose didn't have time to pinch herself and see if it was true or not. Instead, she'd rather believe in this fantasy; if indeed it was one. At least, if it was a mirage, then it was one that she was sharing with her future wife.

The song went on, and soon, the other people around couldn't help but stop and stare at Juleka. The way that they were completely tuned-out from the rest of the world, how they moved around in time to the song and how ravaging they both looked under the light of the sun. None of the students dared to interfere with Rose and Juleka's moment. Not a single camera was pulled out. Not a single picture was taken. It was a timeless moment that would be remembered for reasons other than physical or digital form. After all, if Rose and Juleka were dancing like this, then they were sure to have many more moments after this. A sign of true love; a contract of devotion to one another, signed with this dance.

And then, in an instant, the tune stopped. And as it faded away, so too did Rose and Juleka's focus. They stopped and stared wide into each other's eyes as they came back to reality; snapping out of their trance. The two girls heard clapping noises; ones coming from the students and grown-ups around them. The claps were quiet at first, but they all came together and grew louder and louder, as cheers accompanied them. Both Rose and Juleka were being praised for putting on such a tranquil dance to a peaceful and romantic song.

"Whoa..." Juleka spoke first as she looked around at the cheers of her peers. "Did... we really just do that?"

"Looks like it." Rose looked at the clapping students all around her. Every single one of them giving her and Juleka their utmost praise. After which, Rose turned back to Juleka and held out her hands again. "So, do you want to do another dance with me, Juleka?"

"Y-yeah." Juleka took Rose's hands again, once more warmed by her tender touch. After which, she gave Nino a wink and played another slow-dance song; one that she and Rose had never heard before. "This time... I'll lead." Juleka smiled as she pulled Rose close.

The two's new slow dance started as what seemed like a hug between the two girls for the most part. Swaying back and forth, the two's hug gradually turned into something resembling a dance similar to what they had been doing before, only now, with more feeling to it. Juleka and Rose's motions were even more subtle, softer than ever, and connected perfectly with each step they took. Once again lost in their own little world, Juleka and Rose just let their bodies do the talking for them. And once more, they looked like a pair of royals, enraptured by both the music and by each other. Truly, a wonderful slow dance for a wonderful pair of girls.


	26. Day 26: Work Together

Juleka and Rose were both studying together in the library of College Francois Dupont. Rose was working on trying to figure out the algebraic formula for an advanced mathematics equation, while Juleka was trying to learn how to translate sentences into German. Both of them had their backs against the chairs on separate tables. Their backs were turned to one another as well, though not out of spite for each other, but rather because they'd much rather be learning close by each other, instead of apart.

Rose let out the first groan as she looked closer and closer at the mathematics mayhem before her eyes. Letters, numbers, and systematic nightmares that would make anyone squirm in fear for how difficult it was. Her worries weren't unrequited for long, as she heard Juleka letting out a similar groan as she tried one more time to speak the line she was told to translate in German, but even now, the connotations and the accent she was putting on weren't doing any favours.

"This is impossible!" Both Rose and Juleka said at exactly the same time, before being shushed down by the people within the library, which caused both girls to slump down in their seats and make another groan. After which, they turned around and took a look at each other, both sharing a small look.

"Work's hard for you too, Rose?" Juleka was the first one to ask as she looked over her shoulder to Rose and the work that plagued her mind.

"Mmhmm." Rose gave a weak nod. "But if you're struggling with yours, then I guess it's not as bad as it could be, right?" She curiously looked over at the work that Juleka was trying and failing to get done.

"Oh, it's bad, Rose. Like, it's really bad." Juleka took the worksheet that she had been pondering over and handed it over to Rose, as Rose gave Juleka the one that she had been working on. "I tell you, Rose. German is gonna be the end of me. Forget Hawkmoth and all that other stuff. Just put me up against a German exam and I'm toast."

"Oh, that's it?" Rose asked as she looked at Juleka's German work. "At least it's not algebra. Seriously, how do they expect anyone to get a job with that random gibberish? Do we ever even use it outside of school?"

"I see it." Juleka looked at the algebraic problems that had been put before her; thinking about how much Rose had been slaving away over it. Now, she felt bad that she had been faced with such a burden. "So... when exactly is this due, Rose?"

"By tomorrow. What about yours?" Rose looked down at the German work that Juleka had been working on. Admittedly, to her, it didn't look hard, but that was because she didn't understand that she had to turn the English sentences into German on the answer boxes.

"Tomorrow, just like you." Juleka crossed her legs. "Though, at this rate, I don't think we'll have it done by next week, let alone tomorrow."

Rose let out a weak chuckle, her cheeks turning rosy red. "Y-yeah. You think we should tell Ms. Bustier that we need more time?"

"Well... do you think that you need some more time?" Juleka asked, looking down at the maths work. "Because I don't know about you, but I think I've got the solution to your little maths problem all solved."

"Wait, for reals?" Rose's eyes turned wise and she snapped her body over towards Juleka. She watched as Juleka raised a pen and looked down at the maths equations.

"Yep." Juleka watched as Rose got off of her chair and sat down by her side to get a better look at it. Sure enough, she could see that Juleka was already scribbling some solutions to the problem on a separate piece of paper. "See this? You've gotta convert the letters into numbers that'd fit the problem. So, when it just gets to that point when you can't figure it out, then ya just keep playing around with the numbers to see what works." Eventually, Juleka scribbled, re-scribbled, but eventually came to the correct answer; one that she wrote down for Rose on the same paper. "See? There it is."

"Whoa..." Rose stared agape. This problem had flustered her for the longest time, and Juleka had solved it here and there for her. Rose didn't even know how to react as Juleka handed her paper and the notes she had written down for her. Then, something flashed through her head. "Wait a minute... I've seen this passage before. 'Blumen sind meine Liedenschaft'."

"Wait... you can read German?" Juleka's eyes widened as Rose took her work and started to think about how it would sound in German. After which, Rose rushed off to get a book on German language, flipping through the contents. Juleka was slightly disappointed to know that Rose only knew one sentence off by heart, but she was at least happy to know that she was willing to help."

"Ich komme gerne zur Schule..." Rose read out loud as she looked at Juleka's next sentence, which in English read 'I love going to school'. "And this one, Juleka. From what I'm seeing here, It says that it translates out to 'Der Winterwind ist kalt'. That means the winter wind is cold."

"Is this cheating?" Juleka asked as she looked at Rose handling Juleka's German exercise with such speed and accuracy. "I kinda feel like this is cheating. Me doing your work and you doing my work."

"Well... it doesn't have to be as long as we don't let the teachers know that we helped each other out." Rose made a tiny little giggle as she wrote down everything she had been saying onto a separate note of paper, then handed it over to Juleka. "So, how about it, Juleka? We're both suffering anyway. Better to do this than to get hung up on it and risk an Akuma, right?"

"Only if you wanna do it with me." Juleka let a small smirk onto her face and folded her arms. In the end, they both knew that they weren't going to get anywhere just sitting around on work that they couldn't fix themselves. It was much better for them to just take the knee and hand their work over to their friend rather than to fail their work on their own and be worse off for it.

And soon enough, both Rose and Juleka were deep doing the other person's work for each other. Juleka was calculating the algebraic nightmares that Rose had been struggling with, while Rose was busy speaking German as if she had been born there; even though she was just looking through a book and reading what had been jotted down. With both of their work pawned off to each other, Rose and Juleka finished giving each other hints in record time. By the time the two of them got each other's notes and handed the paper back, it wasn't much of an issue for them to do the work on their own accord. And once they were finished, Rose and Juleka looked at each other, blinked, then shared a laugh with each other, wrapping their arms around each other's shoulders. It felt satisfying to get their work done. And more so that they had gotten friend from the one person they trusted more than anything else in the world.


	27. Day 27: Trustworthy

Rose had a dilemma on her hands. She needed to go out and get something important, but her parents were both busy and Susie was stuck to her like glue. Rose knew that there was really only one thing to do in a situation like this, so she phoned Juleka for help. The conversation didn't last long and Juleka accepted straight away. Now, it was simply a matter of waiting for Juleka to show up and take the burden that Rose had been plagued with. So, to pass the time after the call, Rose was busy playing a piggyback game with Susie; ferrying her around the living room as fast as she could with a little girl weighing her down. Her efforts were met with laughter from Susie, who was throwing her arms up with glee and laughing as she rode her little sister around the room.

Just as Rose was about to go for another lap around the room, she heard a doorbell ringing. Her prayers had been answered at last, it seemed. She tried to get Susie off of her body, but the little girl was adamant in wanting to ride Rose. Rather than having a fight with her little sister, Rose just gave in and took Susie to the door. Then she opened the door wide and found Juleka standing on the other side with a bag slung around her shoulder.

"Juleka!" Rose's face lit up with jubilation as she looked at Juleka standing on the other side of the door.

"Hey, Rose." Juleka walked into the house and picked Susie off of Rose's shoulders. "Hey, Susie? You've gotten big, haven't you?"

Susie chuckled slightly, then said, "Hi, Julie!" She waved innocently.

"How are ya, ya little devil?" Juleka tickled Susie's cheeks with her finger, making her let off another round of giggles.

"Thanks for coming around, Juleka. I know that it seems kinda petty that I'm calling on you to handle Susie for me, but this is something that I just cannot let sit on a store shelf any longer." Rose gave Juleka a sideways hug, smiling deep into her eyes.

"Well, I know how much you wanted this thing over the phone, Rose. Plus, I have to admit, Susie is a little sweetie." Juleka said, holding Susie up by the armpits. She then blew a raspberry into Susie's neck, which just made her laugh more and more. Juleka knew how much Rose loved Susie, and how much Susie loved Rose. She was more than happy to be a babysitter if it meant seeing how much Susie meant to Rose.

"She can be, but she's awfully crazy at times, Juleka. That's why I was kinda worried about leaving her in someone else's hands. But if you say that she's cute and you wanna help, then I'm sure that you'll do your best." Rose clasped her hands together for a brief moment, then opened the door wide. "Alright, Susie. You be nice to Juleka for now. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Mmhmm!" Susie gave Rose a vigorous nod as she walked out of the house. "Me and Julie are gonna have so much fun together!"

"Yeah, you go out and get what you wanna get, girl. When you get back, we'll be waiting." Juleka flashed Rose a grin as she went over to the door and closed it behind her.

With Juleka and Susie left all alone, Juleka took the moment to put Susie down on the ground. Instead of running off to play, however, Susie just stood there, looking up at Juleka with bug-eyes. A twinkle shone in those eyes and Susie raced upstairs, grabbing Juleka by the hand and dragging her along the way. The way that she was pulling Juleka, it was forcing her to hunch over as she was dragged along up the stairs and into the bedroom. That very same pink-coated bedroom that housed both Rose and Susie.

Once Juleka was inside, she watched as Susie let go of her hand and scurried over to the bed. She climbed the bed, but instead of wriggling into it, she stood upright on it. And when Juleka walked over to Susie, all that Susie said was, "Catch me!" As she leapt off of the bed with as much force as she could and grabbed onto Juleka's chest, which made Juleka stumble backwards a few steps as she felt Susie climbing up her like a giant insect. A giant, blonde-haired, pink-romper-clad, 6-year old girl with a big imagination and a playful heart.

"S-s-susie!" Juleka tried to speak, but Susie was still climbing around her and having fun scaling the moving mountain that was Juleka Couffaine.

"Rosie's friends are so, so, so much fun! And she tells me that she loves Julie most of all, so you're the most fun of them all!" Susie chuckled as she went around Juleka's back and sat securely on Juleka's shoulders, looking down on the room at how high-up she was. "Whoa... Julie! You're so big! Rosie was never this big!"

Juleka felt Susie on her shoulders and just let a smile form as a sigh came from it. "Yeah. Rose keeps telling me that. It's like riding a giraffe, isn't it?"

"Mmhmm! Like that one!" Susie reached over Juleka's shoulders for a little stuffed animal that she saw in the corner of the room. "Like Geraldina!"

"Geraldina?" Juleka asked as she followed Susie's hand, squatted down, and watched Susie lunge over. It looked like Susie was about to fall, so as fast as she could, Juleka grabbed onto Susie and securely pushed her back onto her shoulders, then reached down for the toy that Susie nearly fell off trying to obtain. "Y'mean this thing?"

"Yes! Yes! Geraldina!" Susie grabbed the giraffe plushie and held it close to her chest, cooing gently as she brushed it. "Look, Geraldina! There's another super-duper tall person here! Julie! Say hi, Geraldina." And like that, Susie wriggled the plushie around and put on an accent; to make it sound like the toy itself was talking. "Hi, Julie!" She spoke in a squeaker, higher-pitched voice as she lightly shook the giraffe around.

Juleka chuckled a bit as well as she watched the utterly adorable display from Rose's little sister. "So, does Geraldine have any friends, Susie?" She asked, playing into the fun that Susie was putting on.

"She does!" Susie looked around to see if she could find the rest of the toys she loved playing with. Sure enough, she could find her favourite kinds of plushies in the world; unicorns. "Look! Look there, Julie!" She pointed down to the veritable display of unicorns that had been messily strewn about the room. "Unicorns! Lots of them!"

"Like sisters, eh?" Juleka muttered to herself as she reached down and looked at all of the unicorn toys that Susie had pointed out. As soon as she squatted down as low as she could go, she felt Susie jump off of her back and run over to the stuffed unicorns, still holding Geraldine in her hands.

"Rosie always tells me that unicorns are the cutest things ever. So that's why I love unicorns so much, and so does Rosie! We're unicorn sisters together!" Susie explained as she picked up unicorn plushies by the armful and showed them all off to Juleka. "There's Missy Magic, Twinkle Tune, Smiley Sally, Giggly Games, and Super-Duper-Shiney! They're my favourite unicorns!"

Juleka got down onto her knees as she watched Susie laying out all of the toys that she had gathered before her. She knew how wild and crazy Susie was from what Rose had told her, but from what Juleka was experiencing, it was an entirely different story. In truth, Susie was just a little kid with a big heart. And as Juleka watched Susie lay them out before her, she couldn't help but get the feeling that she was being watched by them. An audience of toys from a little girl, all looking up at Juleka as if she was some new friend who had found her way into their world.

"Do you have a favourite unicorn, Julie?" Susie asked, craning her neck upwards toward Juleka. "Is it Mr. Twinklepants? That's Rosie's favourite too! And if she's your bestest-best friend, then it's gotta be Mr. Twinklepants!" And without wasting any more time, Susie ran over to Rose's side of the bedroom and pulled out a white-coated unicorn with sparkling silver hair and a pair of rainbow-coloured wings.

Juleka chuckled faintly. "That's the one. Rose is always going on and on about him whenever she gets really sad and down in the dumps." Juleka explained, and she wriggled forward on her knees, laying a hand down on Susie's shoulder. "Some day, Susie, Rose is gonna need that unicorn more than you can imagine. So, I want to do me a little favour, okay?" She said, raising a finger.

"Wh-what is it, Julie?" Susie asked, tilting a head as she stared at Juleka's finger.

"Whenever you see Rose having a bad day, run up and get Mr. Twinklepants, bring him straight to her, and let her hug him. And if that doesn't work, then you'll both just have to hug him together." Juleka softly booped Susie on the nose, making her mouth hang open ever so slightly. "Can you do that for me? Be a trustworthy little girl for me? Like I'm being a trustworthy friend for Rosie?"

Susie quickly smiled and gave Juleka another hug. "I will, Julie! Because that's what super-duper-best-friends do!"

Juleka felt Susie's hug tighten, and she couldn't help but give her one back. She wasn't Rose, but she still had a heart as pure and innocent as Rose's, only a lot more playful and young. If Juleka didn't know any better, it would have been as if she had stepped backwards through time and wound up in another world where Rose was still in kindergarten. The hug seemed to go on for a while between the two kids until they both heard the front door open and echo into their room and Susie broke out of the hug.

"Rosie's back! Rosie's back!" She chanted happily, then sprinted down the stairs. That prompted Juleka to get back onto her feet and go see what was going on. As she watched Rose walk back into the house, Juleka saw Susie throw herself around Rose's legs, cooing in contention as she watched Rose put down something on the nearby counter.

"Hey, Juleka. Told you I wouldn't be long." Rose explained as she showed a pair of matching bracelets; one for her that was yellow and gold, while another was black and pink for Juleka. "I hope that Susie didn't give you too much hassle."

"Oh, she was fine, Rose." Juleka put her arms behind her head. "In fact, she was just telling me something about you." She walked over to the bracelets that Rose had acquired. "Speaking of which, what're those?"

"They're our new friendship bracelets! I know that we've got quite a few already, but a little bit more couldn't hurt, right? Plus, they were selling these super-special ones that are just perfect!" Rose explained as she slipped her friendship bracelet onto her arm, then put one on Juleka's. "Besides, you don't mind, don't you?"

"When it's coming from you, Rose? I don't mind anything. I know you'd never really wanna hurt me." Juleka looked down at the bracelet on her arm, admiring how it looked in the light of the room.

"Anyways, I wanna thank you, Juleka. You're a really trustworthy friend, y'know?" Rose walked over and wrapped her arms around Juleka's chest.

"Oh, I know." Juleka gave Rose a return hug.

Once Rose and Juleka finished with their hugging business, the two of them stared back at Susie, who couldn't help but giggle at how cute they both looked together. "Julie and Rosie, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" She clapped her hands at she read off each of the letters of the word 'kissing', only to end up laughing more.

Juleka took that moment to walk over to the tiny little Susie, knelt down to her height, and booped her on the nose again. "Tag. You're it." And without any words, she ran off upstairs.

Susie's eyes lit up. If she was "It", then that meant only one thing. Laughing some more, Susie raced after Juleka, just as Rose raced after Susie. Soon, the three girls found themselves deep in a game of Tag with one another. Rose, Juleka, and Susie ran up, down out, around, and all over the house as they tagged each other and tried to avoid being tagged themselves. Nothing but laughter came out of their mouths as they played the game to the best of their abilities. It was a moment none of them wanted to forget; no matter how hard they tried.


	28. Day 28: Exposed

Juleka and Rose once again found themselves in the midst of being superhero girls once again. Once more chosen by Ladybug and Cat Noir to don the Miraculouses of the Tiger and Pig, Paris became a whirlwind of chaos as the four superhero teens were locked in a fight against Hawkmoth's newest villain. This one was a man with explosive shrapnel patterns running down his poncho as he looked down on Paris. A piece of wheat was in his mouth; one that he chewed on and spat out inbetween bo staff strikes from Cat Noir and lunges of Ladybug's yo-yo. After which, he found himself face-to-face with Tigara and Pygmy; Juleka and Rose's superheroine personas.

The story was simple. That man was a cowboy who had dropped in from America for a few days. But he'd been utterly dumbfounded and displeased with how city-like Paris was. So Hawkmoth leeched off of his confusion and disappointment and transformed him into the fiendish Sheriff Shrapnel; a cowboy from head to toe who loved to coat Paris in explosive dynamite and give its' citizens a good ol' rootin' tootin' cowboy-style beatdown. All for the sake of getting Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses for his master's dream.

"Yer in way over yer head, little missy." He said as he effortlessly sidestepped out of the way of Ladybug's yo-yo and grabbed the string, yanking it and Ladybug closer to her; with a little yelp coming out of Ladybug's mouth. He grabbed the stolen red-suited heroine and gazed into her eyes. "Ain't no way yer gettin' off the hook this time. That Miraculous ain't yours anymore." He reached for Ladybug's earrings and nearly popped them off of her ears when Tigara and Pygmy darted forward and drove into his chest, knocking him off of the rooftops and down to the streets.

"Ladybug!" Tigara—who was really Juleka but who's counting anyway?—helped Ladybug stand back on her own two feet.

"Are you alright?" Pygmy asked, helping to dust Ladybug off from the scrapes she had just received.

"Yeah. I'm fine, girls. Thanks." Ladybug looked down at where Sheriff Shrapnel had landed, only to see that he was on his feet and lobbed a series of dynamite at the roof of the building they were standing on. "Look out!" She pulled the other three heroes down to the ground as she jumped off of the building, sparing them from the exploding sticks of dynamite that coated the roofs with ash, fire, and chunks. Ashes and embers trickled down and some brushed against Ladybug's face. But she had no time to think about that. It was time to fight another supervillain and save the day.

And so, the battle raged on. Cat Noir and Ladybug did their very best to avoid the destruction, but Sheriff Shrapnel wasn't making it easy for them. Blasts from his revolver were enough to cause explosions of their own accord, but the dynamite that he was throwing all over the place was causing an equal amount of destruction. With chaos on all sides, it was hard for Ladybug and Cat Noir to keep track of his movements. And it was showing for Pygmy and Tigara too, who had to retreat back to the rooftops after it became clear that they could not handle the sheer pandemonium that was going on down on the streets.

"C'mon, li'l Ladybug. Thought you French-types were meant to be all purdy. You sure ain't lookin' like it." He spat out the wheat and dashed into Ladybug; the sheer force of his chest being enough to knock her away. Quick as a flash, he took out a lasso and roped up the airborne Ladybug, smashing her down into the ground. "That's what we call yer first rodeo!"

"And this is what we like to call a beatdown." Cat Noir wrapped his cane around Sheriff Shrapnel's chest and threw him over his shoulders, after which, Cat Noir darted forward and met him with more cane strikes that were blocked by his arm. "Wow... you really are tough!" Cat Noir commented after the twelve strike failed to cause the villain any pain. "Guess that's just the way it is back home, isn't it?"

"You ain't special, kitty cat." Sheriff Shrapnel grabbed Cat Noir and kicked him away, then lassoed him the same way he did Ladybug. Instead of smashing her into the ground, however, he pulled Cat Noir close and lunged his arm forward for Cat Noir's ring in an attempt to dislodge it. "Now, hand over that ring of yours..."

"Cat Noir!" Tigara and Pygmy ran for Cat Noir. Right into Sheriff Shrapnel's trap. He raised his revolver in response to their charge and pulled down on the trigger. The resulting shot was highly explosive and sent both Tigara and Pygmy hurtling into the wall of one of the nearby buildings; leaving a large crater when they hit. Both girls ended up wincing in pain, which gave Cat Noir the invigoration to break free and grab Sheriff Shrapnel's arm, throwing him to the ground.

"Nngh..." Pygmy—who was really Rose—groaned as she fell to the ground. That attack was stronger than she had been anticipating. She shared a look with Tigara, thinking about her partner's anguish. Even though Rose knew who Juleka was and vice versa, it still distressed them to see the other in pain like this. "N-no... Not like this." Pygmy pushed herself back onto her feet. "C'mon, Tigara... Get back up!"

Tigara let out a groan as well as she used her metallic claw tool to push herself back onto two legs. Even so, the way that she was moving, it was like she had taken a really dangerous blow. Thank goodness that it wasn't an actual gun that had shot them and that they were superheroes, or this would have been a much more tearful moment between the two of them. "R-r-ro... Pygmy? Does it usually hurt like this?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Tigara tried her very best to be strong, but another surge of pain ran up her legs. She looked out towards Ladybug and Cat Noir, who were still putting up the good fight against Sheriff Shrapnel. But even then, it was a hellish fight, with more explosions and chaotic explosive gunfire all over the place. It was like a tiny war between him and two teens. "Aren't we... supposed to be... superheroes?"

"Y-yeah, we are. Still... No wonder Ladybug and Cat Noir don't like getting back up most of the time." Rose fought back against more pain as she took a short run forward; one that was halted as she felt her body pumping adrenaline through it; which agitated the pain that they had taken from the recent blow from Sheriff Shrapnel. "B-b-but still, you know what they say. No pain... no gain!" She screamed the last word as she fell to the ground.

"Pygmy!" Tigara grit her teeth and sped forward. She didn't even care how much it hurt. She needed to get her friend out of the fire. They were both exposed like this, so they needed to take a moment to rest their wounds. Juleka thought that it would be better if Rose was resting away from the fight, instead of constantly having to worry about her getting caught in another one of Sheriff Shrapnel's explosive attacks. "C'mon, girl..." Tigara took to the rooftops again and hid away. She knew that it looked awfully cowardly for her to do this, but at this rate, it was a challenge for her to even move like this. She jumped across three rooftops, then dropped Pygmy, panting and breathing heavily. It wasn't long before she slumped afterwards, dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Juleka..." Pygmy leaned over to Tigara; who had been forced onto all-fours from the painful exploding bullet attack. "You don't have to push yourself for my sake, you know. We're both superheroes. We look out for each other and for ourselves, right?"

"Y-yeah. What kind of superhero would I be if I didn't save my friend from a supervillain like him?" Juleka stared back at Pygmy, who was wide-eyed at her heroic deed. "Not a very good one, I'll tell you that. Sure, sure, we're going back in there, but first... I think we need to get our energy back."

"Then... let's do it together, Tigara." Pygmy placed a hand on Tigara's shoulder, causing the two to share a look. "Now. Copy what I do. Take a deep breath in..." She slowly inhaled a breath of air, then when she couldn't hold anymore, she exhaled, releasing all of that air. "And out again. Just like that."

Tigara curiously tilted her head to the side for a second; confused at Pygmy's methods, but still, she did the same thing that she did. She took a deep breath, then exhaled just as hard. It didn't do much, she thought. But it was one way of getting back onto her feet. She and Pygmy did these breathing exercises over and over again, with their pain melting away with each breath.

"So... how do you feel?" Tigara asked after the last breath and stood back on her own two feet again.

"I... I feel... good. What about you, Tigara?" Pygmy stood back up; as if she never been hurt in the first place.

"Well, I don't really feel any pain, if that's what you're asking." Tigara explained, tipping her claw. "So... I guess it works?"

"Mmhmm. It totally works!" Pygmy got back up onto her feet and watched as another explosion sent both Cat Noir and Ladybug hurtling through the sky. "And just in the nick of time, too. C'mon, Tigara! Let's get back to the fight!" And without a moment's thought, Pygmy raced off back to the scene; as if she had completely forgotten what had just happened with her and Tigara.

Tigara knew exactly what to expect when it came to Sheriff Shrapnel now, as well as the amount of pain that he could dish out. But if Pygmy was going headstrong into the fight even though she knew what was waiting for her, then Tigara knew that she had to go as well. All of the worries and stress left her head as she darted off after her friend. Who cares just how much pain they went through? They needed to stop Hawkmoth and his newest villain before things got even worse. So, for the sake of each other and for the world, the two would face any pain; no matter how exposed they were or how much it hurt.


	29. Day 29: Candlelight

Juleka and Rose had spent practically a whole year setting up for this, but at last, the two of them had finally managed to scrounge up enough money to afford a meal out at one of the best restaurants that they could find. And not the kind of overly-chatted about one that Chloe's family had in their family hotel. No. This was a special place that both Rose and Juleka had their eyes on. The Soleil au Clair de Lune; a special kind of restaurant that charged high prices for its' food, but was exceptional for its' atmosphere.

The Soliel au Clair de Lune was a restaurant underground; secluded from the rest of Paris. The kitchen could be seen in the corner of the room, with chefs diligently working hard at preparing the food for their patrons. The lighting of the restaurant was dim and every table, including Juleka and Rose's, was illuminated by a candle secluded in a glass globe with an open top. The candle itself was bright, countering the darkness of the room; fitting for a restaurant known as the Soleil au Clair de Lune. The Sun under Moonlight.

"Wow... Juleka. Can you believe that we're really here?" Rose asked as she looked around the restaurant. She could see ivy climbing around the bar and coiling around the wine bottles, tiny lights that were reminiscent of the stars in the night sky, and even the tables themselves looked like elegant little islands in a moonlit pond. "Oh, everyone is gonna be so jealous!"

"You can say that again. This place is classy." Juleka whistled lightly as she admired the view of the restaurant. "Not to mention, it's actually quite poetic. In a darkened, moonlit world, even the sun still shines. That sounds like a line you'd hear straight out of one of Jean-Miguel's books."

"It is. Still, the prices these guys charge definitely doesn't seem like it should be right..." Rose looked around again. For all that she knew, she and Juleka would have been the only two people in the whole school to have experienced such a place like this. Then, a sigh slipped her mouth. "Oh well. At least the two of us will be able to share this experience in class."

"Yeah. Though... I can only imagine how wonderful it'd be for all the others." Juleka wasn't one to think about her classmates much; especially when it came to Rose. It wasn't that she didn't care about any of the other teens in her class. It was quite the opposite, in fact. Juleka wanted more than anything to share this kind of thing with them all, even though she wondered whether or not they would appreciate it. "Especially Marinette. Bet she'd really love to come here sometime with Adrien or Luka."

"Luka?" Rose blinked at Juleka. She had been expecting her to add Adrien to anything involving Marinette, but not Luka. In fact, Luka was one of the few people that Rose thought wouldn't have worked well with Marinette; especially when she cared so much for Adrien. "What makes you say that, Juleka?"

"You think I haven't been noticing Marinette hanging out with my brother?" Juleka smiled as she put her elbows on the table. "Plus, if Marinette's dreams with Adrien fall through, it's better for her to have a fallback plan, don't you think? I mean, let's consider this, Rose. Adrien's, like an idol in Paris. And Marinette's... well, Marinette."

"I mean, yeah, you're kinda right, Juleka. Still, I never pegged that she and Luka would pair up like that." Rose twiddled her fingers together. She didn't even notice the waiters serving her and Juleka their orders of food. "I mean, yeah, Luka's a great guy, and all. But boyfriend material? He just kinda seems like the guy you'd wanna chill with; not form a relationship over."

"You'd think so, but fate works in mysterious ways sometimes." Juleka looked down at the food she had ordered; a one-of-a-kind chateaubriand steak drizzled with butter, served with asparagus and creamy mashed potatoes. "Like, who would've ever fathomed the two of us getting together? A goth-looking girl and a peppy blonde. Seems like one of the strangest fairytales ever."

"But look where we are now, Juleka." Rose just gave her a grin as she leaned over her meal; a similar Chateaubriand steak but without the asparagus. Rose couldn't stand the stuff. She very quickly thanked the waiter as he left, then returned her focus to Juleka. "We're in the restaurant we always wanted, eating the meal we always wanted as if it _were_ a fairytale. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was still fast asleep."

"You want a pinch so we can prove that?" Juleka made a little chuckle and tried to reach over the table to pinch Rose, which caused Rose to jerk her arms back with laughter as she avoided trying to get pinched herself. And as she heard Rose start to giggle, Juleka couldn't help but laugh as well.

It was as if the food didn't even need to matter to the two girls as they got lost in their little pinch-affair. Eventually, eyes started to stare at them, and both girls noticed. They stopped, blushed at the attention that they had drawn, and then let out a sheepish laugh and slunk back into their chairs. Their little moment over, the girls looked down at their candlelit dinner and wasted no time in ripping and tearing into the steak. The meat that both girls started to chew on was unlike any meat that they had ever tasted before. It was as if it was a gift from the heavens itself. The way that the marbled meat melted in their mouths and left an otherworldly feeling was like they had died and gone to heaven.

"Rose..." Juleka looked up at Rose, who was still idyllicly chewing on her steak.

"Juleka..." Rose shared a similar look at Juleka, who had been eating away without a care in the world.

"THIS IS THE GREATEST STEAK EVER!" Both girls ended up blurting out to each other in delight. They then received another round of stares from the patrons around them and couldn't help but feel sheepish again, sitting back upright.

"No, seriously, the others are totally missing out on this." Juleka said, hastily cutting off another piece of the steak and plopping it into her mouth, biting and piercing through the browned meat as a ravenous tiger would. "We've totally gotta come back here some day."

"Totally. This is something that would totally blow any of Chloe's fancy food straight out of the water." Rose gave a nod as she bit through the next piece of steak, once again letting the flavours dance around in her mouth. "I totally wouldn't mind if this was something that we just did once a year, Juleka."

"Oh, same. It'd be a lot less special if we could just afford stuff like this as much as we wanted." Juleka folded her legs under the table; not that anyone could see them. "Plus, this is the kind of food that I don't think we'd ever get to order every day even if we literally sold everything we ever loved."

"So, how's about it, then? Wanna make this our little yearly restaurant?" Rose asked.

"Sure." Juleka gave a nod. "Our home away from home; where once ever year, we eat like queens."

"Just like a fairytale..." Rose's eyes sparkled from both the lights above and the candle that continued to burn. With Juleka here with her in the Soleil au Clair de Lune, Rose felt like this was one of the most wonderful places in the whole world. Together, she knew that she and Juleka would make lots of happy memories here; even though they could only really come once every year and only if they raised enough money between themselves to afford a night out. Still, it was a nice thing to shoot for; a good goal to reach; especially with how much they cared for each other and how they didn't want to disappoint the other. And with that drive, the two of them promised to each other that come hell or high water, this would be their yearly treasure; their annual meal unlike any other.


	30. Day 30: Holding Hands

Juleka and Rose had many things that they loved doing together. From eating food, going for walks around Paris, even doing modelling work with Marinette and the rest of her friends for her latest designs. But if there was something that the two of them loved doing more than anything, it was holding each other's hands. Rose's hand felt silky smooth for Juleka to touch, and Juleka's hand was tender enough that Rose could have held it all day. The two of them had held hands many a few times before, and every single time, it was a treat. They just didn't bring it up between each other or even to any of their friends.

Juleka and Rose found themselves sailing on Juleka's family boat once again. It was just a simple sail down the seine this time. The two of them cruised at a slow pace and watched as the water crashed against the hull of the ship and splashed outward. It was a peaceful sight, and the smell of the river waters lashing through the air and dancing around their nose was always a fragrant scent. Still, something was lingering in the back of their mind. They both loved holding the other's hands, but they had no clue whether or not the other had the same sort of feelings for them; whether or not they enjoyed holding the other person's hand purely for their benefit or for a shared one.

Still, they knew one thing was clear; their hands had been untouched by the other for a good while now and the two of them needed to hold hands together. Even if they were unsure whether or not the other would abide by their whims and wishes, they still needed to have that experience again at least one more time. If not for the other's sake, then for their own.

"So, Rose? How are you enjoying the view?" Juleka asked, tipping her hand out to Rose as the two of them were sitting on chairs together.

"It's... wonderful, Juleka." Rose might have admired the view, but there was a completely different sight that she couldn't take her eyes off of. Juleka's hand. The way that it was right there, at arm's length. Rose really wanted to hold it, at least one more time. But she didn't want to upset Juleka in the process. She knew that Juleka was a sensitive human being. Emotional as well. She didn't want to hurt her by saying or doing anything wrong. 

Juleka was also enthralled by a similar sight. As she watched Rose flexing her own hand, she could only dream of the idea of holding it again unless she plucked up the courage to say that she wanted it. For all that she knew, she was unsure whether or not Rose liked to hold her hand back. And knowing how delicate Rose could be, Juleka didn't dare muster up the courage to say it, lest she disrupted Rose and made her feel uncomfortable.

Rose let the time tick by, as did Juleka. Every second that passed, they both longed for the other's hand. They both tried making a move for the other's hand, then looked into each other's eyes. Tilting them to the side like puppies confused and bewildered by the scene, the two just kept on looking, then looking at their hands again. This was starting to eat away at them more than they knew. One of them needed to make the move or they would lose even more time that could have been used for precious hand-holding.

At last, the two of them made a brave move on each other. Rose lunged for Juleka's hand, as Juleka went for Rose's hand. Their two hands finally touched and suddenly, the world around them seemed to stop. With their hands firmly planted on each other's, a gasp came out of both of their lips. Rose had went for Juleka, and Juleka had went for Rose. Words couldn't do it justice or explain it any better. As they had made the move on each other for the other, the two of them tried to get their words out, but all that came out were a series of choked, cooing noises as they tried to make sense of this weird, otherworldly occurrence.

"Juleka... you..." Rose tried to get her words out and finally made the effort to do so. "You... wanna hold hands with me?"

"Y-y-yeah." Juleka finally found some strength of her own. She had made the effort to hold Rose's hand, so there was no turning back. And since Rose had done the same, it was only fair that she reciprocated her feelings in kind. "That is, if you want to, that is?"

"I'd love to." Rose let out a sigh and smiled once again; her jagged hand hold now relaxing and losing tension as she and Juleka lowered their arms together.

Laying their arms down on the table, both Juleka and Rose felt any kind of apprehension in their mind leave them. They had both gotten their wishes to hold each other's hands and now that they had, their whole world felt that much brighter. Juleka felt Rose's silkness and Rose felt Juleka's tenderness. And the longer that they held each other's hands, the more that they both came to realise that the other half enjoyed it as much as they did. Juleka and Rose held hands and didn't let go once; not even as they felt the heat and sweat between themselves grow.

"So... do you like holding my hand, Juleka?" Rose finally asked, just as the two of them went under one of Paris's bridges.

"Y-yeah. I do, Rose." Juleka spoke so softly that her voice almost sounded like the wind as she looked into Rose's eyes. "It just feels so nice to hold your hand like this, Rose. Not just in romantic situations, but in general, y'know? It's just... how can I say it?"

"Exhilarating? Wonderful? Like the kind of dream you have when you're in a fairytale and you've met your prince charming and just want to hold his hand and never, ever, ever let go?" Rose asked.

"Yeah. That's it." Juleka pointed with her other hand as a smile crept onto her face. "Just like that, Rose."

"I feel exactly the same way, y'know, Juleka. The way that you hold my hand, it's like I have a big sister in my life." Rose grinned as she looked into Juleka's eyes. "So... thank you, Juleka. For being my provisional big sister. It means a lot to me, y'know?"

"I know it does, Rose. And I know how much you mean to me as a little sister too." Juleka said; curling her fingers as Rose did the same on the hands they were both holding; making their hold tighter. "So, how's about it? Wanna stay my provisional little sister if I stay your big sister?"

"I'd like that very much, Juleka." Rose nodded and continued to hold Juleka's hand. They came from two walks of life, but were cut from the same cloth. They were meant for each other, through and through. And all of the hand-holding in the world was going to do their relationship wonders; especially now that they knew how it meant to each other. The two of them wanted to keep on holding hands for however long it took. If it meant kindling and growing their love, then they would do it. And, after all, it wasn't like a little bit of hand-holding wouldn't do them any harm now, would it?


	31. Day 31: I'm Sorry

Juleka and Rose both knew that they had to come clean after what they had done. For the first time in their lives, both of them felt like their friendship; their love was on the line with what they had done. Juleka felt awful for what she had done to Rose, and Rose felt equally terrible for what she had done to Juleka. They wouldn't have been surprised if the other never wanted to see them ever again after this. It was the kind of feeling that wouldn't go away easily unless both sides gave each other a real, heartfelt, truly sorrowful apology.

It was the middle of the night and the streetlights were streaming light down onto the city. The rain was falling from the skies above and the people who were on the sidewalk had their umbrellas opened, sheltering themselves from the lashing droplets that painted the world around them with water. The skies above were bleak and cloudy; with not a single star to be seen. Even though it looked like a nice sight, that wasn't what was on Rose and Juleka's minds right now. They needed to say sorry for what they had done.

Juleka raced down the streets of Paris, sloshing up water as her feet collided with puddle after puddle on her sprint. She needed to apologise to Rose quickly; before she decided that their friendship was over for good. She could only hope that she wanted to accept her apology straight back. In a similar manner, Rose too was splashing up all of the puddles as she dashed through Paris. Juleka was the kind of person that she couldn't afford to lose; no matter the cost. She'd done too much with her to let that friendship be fractured like that. Now, more than ever, she needed to correct the mistake that she had made.

Juleka rounded a corner and came towards a bridge covered with locks. No-one else was there; most likely because they didn't want to brave the full force of that rainy evening. Juleka sped across the bridge from the right sie while Rose came from the left. Both of them didn't care how wet they got or what else happened. And it was that conviction that carried them over the bridge in what seemed like record time. As they both came to the middle of the bridge, they saw something straight away that made them stop in their tracks.

"Juleka!" Rose screamed through the rainy night at her.

"Rose!" Juleka screamed right back through the gloomy, murky weather.

Both girls rushed forward and came within touching distance. Showered by rain on all sides, the two looked into each other's eyes, feeling lumps form in their throats. Now that they were here with each other, it was simply a matter of getting their words out.

"Rose... I..." Juleka tried to be brave and make the first move. A bold move, since she was usually the one who let emotions take her over easier. "About what I did... It's just... I hate what it's done to me."

"I... I think I know." Rose sniffled, as she thought about her own mistakes. "What I did wasn't as pleasant either. I didn't want you to feel like I'd betrayed you as... as a friend."

"Me neither." Juleka swallowed that lump and fought back against her inhibitions. In such a delicate situation, she couldn't afford to make a single mistake; whether in her wording or in an inability to speak her mind. "Rose... You're more than just a friend to me, y'know that? We've grown so close together and I don't want that bond between us to break."

"Me neither, Juleka. I'm... I'm sorry for knocking you into the river last night during your favourite part of 'The Nightmare Runner'! I know how much you like that super-trippy scene in that world which looks like the little pieces of a diamond, and I just got so spooked and I... I didn't know how else to act!" Rose confessed the fault that she had made and threw herself against Juleka's chest, crying into it.

"Oh, Rose..." Juleka watched Rose's heart-touching tear-fest and felt the weight of her own sins creep up on her. "I'm sorry too. I really am! I was the one who ruined your copy of the Unicorn Compendium! The one that you and Susie loved reading endlessly! I tried to fix the mistake I'd made, but one thing lead to another. Cleaning up a juice spill, the papers ripping, the book landing in the trashcan by accident, it's all my fault and I didn't want you to feel upset by the mistake I'd made!" Juleka knelt down and started to cry as well, pressing her face against Rose's chest.

And so it was that there, on the river hanging over the Seine, in a world coated and ravaged by rain, both Juleka and Rose would cry. Warm tears running down their face with cold raindrops running parallel to them, both girls fell to their knees and held each other's hands as they laid themselves bare. Both of them wracked by sin, guilty of all charges. That was the kind of heartache and sadness that would have normally called for an Akuma in these trying times with the Miraculous War still ongoing, but not such a thing came. Even though Juleka and Rose felt nothing but sadness; an emotion that was entirely negative and perfect for one such black-winged butterfly.

Eventually, after having cried their eyes out, Juleka and Rose finally stood up. Still burdened and encumbered by their own despair and negativity, they felt like the pressure had been lifted from their body now that they had fessed up to everything and bore themselves to the other. As their tear and rain-drenched eyes stared into each other, a moment of silence was shared between them. After all that had been said and done, neither of them wanted to say goodbye. Neither one wanted to break up the friendship. Neither one of them felt like this was the end of the road for them both as far as they were concerned. Instead, there was nothing. Nothing more than the understanding between each other and the acceptance of their words and testimonies.

"Juleka... Do you really mean that?" Rose was the first one to ask. "You really, really mean that you're sorry?"

"Of course I do, Rose." Juleka said, still choking up on her own sadness as she wiped away the tears with her rain-soaked hand. "I really am sorry that I ruined you and Susie's favourite book. It was a total accident and I didn't want you to feel like I'd betrayed your trust in me."

"Me neither. I didn't want you to feel like you'd had your favourite thing in the world of horror movies ruined by my scaredy-cat reflexes." Rose wiped away her own tears; completely unfazed as she brushed her now-cold hand over those warm eyes of hers. "Juleka... I really am sorry. And I mean it. Like I'm sure you mean that you're really sorry as well..."

"I am, Rose. I'd never, ever, ever want to leave you, you know." Juleka brought her hand to Rose's cheek and caressed it gently, watching as her eyes went wide. "Look, I know now that we're both in the wrong and we're both equally to blame. I'm at fault for ruining your book, and you're at fault for soaking me. Just... can we still be friends? I really want to keep you my closest, bestest friend in the whole world, Rose. I can't imagine a world without you."

"Nor can I, Juleka. We're inseparable, aren't we?" Rose still couldn't smile over this whole thing, but she knew what Juleka was inferring. "We have our little mistakes, and we get awfully angry at times. But we're never going to leave each other; especially not since we've made so many good memories together. I don't want to throw away our friendship and I don't want you to throw it away either."

"Thanks, Rose. That's all that I needed to hear." Juleka smiled as she brought Rose into a different kind of hug. A hug of friendship. Of love. She felt Rose's arms wrap around her, reciprocating her feelings.

Their little moment over and the potential rift mended, Rose and Juleka sat there, in the rain-struck city of Paris, on the bridge overlooking the Seine, hugging. Even in the darkest of times and through the harshest of shocks, both Juleka and Rose were happy to know that they would still be a part of each other's lives and be there for each other when they both needed it. And as they stood back up and walked over to the edge of the bridge, they saw the skies start to clear up as the rain slowed down. Rays of moonlight and the stars above started to show themselves as the cloudy curtain was pulled back.

"You think we'll be friends forever?" Rose asked as she looked out towards Paris as the moon and stars started to show themselves.

"I'm sure that we will be, Rose." Juleka wrapped her arm around Rose as the two of them admired the night city as the clouds drifted off. "It won't be easy sometimes, and we might have some more accidents and falling-outs like before. But if you're willing to keep fighting for our friendship, then I'd be more than happy to fight for it too."

"Whatever happens happens. What's important is the here and now." Rose nodded as she looked into Juleka's eyes. "Together, we're the perfect pair of girls. You're the moonlight; tranquil and calm. And I'm the sun, bright and peppy. And I know since you like to wax poetic that it only makes sense that we'd be together like that."

"Mmm. It's true, Rose. You are like the sun as I'm like the moon. You can't have one without the other." Juleka smiled at Rose. "If you're willing to keep that smile of yours up, then I'm more than happy to be the peaceful, easy-going moon that accompanies it."

"So.. friends forever?" Rose held up a pinky finger.

"Friends forever." Juleka lifted her pinky finger up and wrapped it around Rose's. A fabled pinky promise had been set in stone, and now it was up to both parties to uphold that promise. Surely, this was a sign that the two of them would fight their hearts out to stay friends.

And on that night, as the rain finally stopped falling and the clouds disappeared from the sky at last, Rose and Juleka had properly made up with each other. All of their worries and qualms had been dissipated into thin air, and now there was only one thing for them to think about; the future. Where they would go together, what they would do, what they would see, what they would experience. But if their friendship could whether even the toughest of storms and handle the most volatile of situations, then they had hope in themselves that their friendship would pull through now and forever.


End file.
